Courting the River Maid Collection
by LadyRainStarDragon
Summary: A collection of short stories set throughout Chihiro's life from before, during, and after the movie. Tie ins with Underwater Savior, Promise of a River, Rivers Never Die, and Rivers Keep Flowing. Forget the organizaton, it's a bouquet. Fluff and Comedy
1. Best Friends Forever

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Best Friends Forever

Welcome to Courting the River Maid, which is a collection of short stories I have writen based on the movie Spirited Away by Hayao Miyazaki. Inspiration has slowed down, and I have gone back over this in order to re-arrange the stories in a chronological order. Other stories you may want to read will by 'Promise to Protect and Provide,' 'Underwater Savior,' 'White Death,''Promise of a River,' 'Rivers Never Die,' and 'Rivers Keep Flowing.' I plan a few more stories after the end of the last Rivers segment, and will probably return to 'Rivers Always Claim What is Their Own' later on.

Anyway, this collection will feature stories and snippets that for various reasons did not end up in the other stories.

* * *

Best Friends Forever takes place two years after the demise of the Kohaku River in 'Underwater Savior.'

* * *

The two six-year olds ran through the park, splashing in mud puddles with great delight, sprayed with the mixture of earth and water. The dark haired child fell, tripping on her own shoelace, and landed face first in a particularly squishy puddle.

"Chi! Are you ok?"

Pale hair curtained forward to obscure the child's face, but the former river lord knew that her eyes were a bright blue. Pale skin, paler than it should be due to not being outside as much as she should, covered the tiny hand that helped her friend up.

"I'm ok Lily!"

"Good. You're it!"

The pair laughed, and Lily darted away, Chihiro thundering close behind as the adults watched from the benches. Both children had to pause for a moment to cough, clinging to each other for support as their bodies tried to expel what had settled in their lungs. Bronchitis was not a fun thing, especially for kids. One of the adults rose to tell the kids to stop, but was shushed by the other three.

"The doctor said to let them play and run around as much as they wanted, that it would help them to get rid of the last of it."

"But they're still coughing. Surely they need to lay down and rest."

"Laying down only lets the fluids irritating them build up."

"You're right."

Nushi watched all of this through the mirror, checking on his pet and her best friend. It still grieved him that he could no longer physically go to the surface to play with Chihiro, but he had found ways to cope.

He hacked and knelt down, allowing the coughing fit to pass. Spirits didn't usually get sick, but this time he had drawn off most of the sickness from the two humans into his own body, hoping to learn more about the many microorganisms that were interfering not only with them, but the other children as well. It seemed like it was not just one disease that attacked them, but many that bonded together, taking advantage of each child's different weaknesses. As his body fought their diseases, he learned a bit more about their workings. It was hard, but there were few better methods of study that spirits used. He was just glad that no human disease had ever proven deadly to a spirit.

"You'll always be my best friend forever Lily."

"You'll always be mine too Chihiro."

Nushi smiled at the innocence and trust the two children had. So many threw their own away these days. As the children danced and sang, his face gradually settled into a small, sad frown. Little Lily was getting much weaker than he thought that she should be. What was more troublesome was that he saw the white Dragon of Death checking on her and comparing her name to his scroll. How much longer did she have left, and how would Chihiro take it when Lily's time was up?

'Best friends forever,' maybe he could use that innocent vow to ensure that they would be able to encounter again after this life. He didn't know why, but he was willing to do anything if he thought it might help his little Chihiro.


	2. Imaginary Friend, Middle Names

Courting the River Maid Collection

Imaginary Friend, Middle Names

By LadyRainStarDragon

Rain doesn't own Spirited Away. Hence why this is on a fan fiction website. I am just a fan, maybe that explainswhy I sometimes feel likesomebody's waving me around for their enjoyment.

In this 'flower' in the Courting bouquet that's building here, Chihiro and Lily are seven, placing this after the Kohaku River was buried, but before she got Spirited Away. For the confused, 'Underwater Savior' details my version of how Haku's river got buried, and 'Rivers Never Die' unearths it again.

* * *

Brown hair and blonde hair gleamed in the summer sun, adorning the heads of two children who had managed to sneak away from their parents for a little while. Like always, they sat on the grassy field to contemplate the line of earth that represented where the river once flowed. It was mostly grown over now, but there was still a thin line, and the grass had a different texture to it. Pink flowers dotted the field here and there, looking just as careworn as the forest around the former river. 

"It seems like forever, doesn't it?"

"I just wish I could have said good bye to him."

"At least you got to meet the river spirit, Chihiro."

"But he's gone now. Dad killed him."

"You know, mom always says that spirits don't die. Maybe he's just sleeping somewhere, waiting to be woken up and for the river to be dug back up."

"Like Sleeping Beauty?"

The seven year old Chihiro tried to image Haku as Sleeping Beauty. It was a ridiculous image. For one thing, she had never seen Nigihayami Kohakunushi lie so still. Even when he would stand stock-still, either his hair or robes would be ruffled by the breeze. She didn't think he would have taken too kindly to the comparison either, he seemed pretty jumpy whenever the topics of discussion had turned to appearances, love, or that kind of thing. She would never forget his response one day when she had asked if there was a Mrs. Nigihayami Kohakunushi. The sheer panic as he looked around had been interesting. He had veiled it well, but his eyes always gave everything away.

If he was sleeping somewhere and waiting to be woken up, she would give anything to bring him back. She needed to know, needed confirmation of his existence before her mother had her way. She was already forgetting things about him, pressured not just by her mother, but the kids in school too.

Silence fell over the two, neither really feeling like running and playing since the river was gone. With the demise of the river, seemed to have gone all of their energy, vanishing like summer butterflies.

"Mom says he was just imaginary, you know. She thinks I made him up because I spent so much time with Ji-san when I was little."

"Do you think he was imaginary?"

"No, but I don't know anymore. I'm getting less sure of what I remember every day. There are times, when I think mom may be right, that maybe he was just someone I created to ease my loneliness and sickness."

"Does it matter if he's not real? A friend is a friend, right?"

Blue eyes locked with muddy brown eyes that were giving up all but the very last bit of grey in them. Chihiro's mother was slowly succeeding in making her wildish daughter conform to her very tame wishes, tirelessly extinguishing the light that had once burned so brightly. Lily was alarmed to see how uncertain of herself her best and only friend was becoming, and wondered what her life was like when she was not with her. Mrs. Ogino had always scoffed at fairy tales and magic, and Ogino-daitoku's rituals that the girls found so fascinating.

"You're right, Lily. If you're half Japanese, why don't you have a Japanese name?"

Lily shrugged her shoulders, causing shoulder-length waves of gold to sway like sunset river currents like some swore they could still see where the river had once been. They contrasted pleasingly with the blue T-shirt that she wore.

"My middle name is Rumiko. Dad was born in America, but wound up being adopted by a family that had been friends with his. Don't ask me, because I still don't understand the story. Anyway, they made my first name to be Lily, because Mom had a dream about lilies shortly before I was born."

"Pretty, much nicer than my middle name."

"What's yours?"

"Pearl."

"That . . . just doesn't seem to fit. It's in English at that."

"Yeah. Mom and her love of American Culture."

Silence settled once more over them, as light and comforting as the golden mantle of sunlight that kissed their shoulders and warmed their backs as they gazed wistfully where once they could have swam.

"There you are Chihiro! You had me worried sick!"

The girls jumped in their startlement, like two fishes that had been pulled roughly into the fishing boat and desperately attempting to return to the sweet river.

"If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times Chihiro! Stop wandering off to look for this 'river man!' He is imaginary. There are no spirits. Let's take Lily home, then we are going to have a little talk."

Something stretched a bit thinner inside of the little girl. She couldn't bring herself to repeat the words that she knew her mom wanted to hear. Like Lily said, did it matter if he was or wasn't?

"Yes mom."

The girls followed the woman to the car that her husband had gotten her last year, an ugly and boxy thing. Morosely they buckled themselves into the back, only whispering to each other when Yuuko was concentrating on driving. Neither child saw the green snake who had sadly watched them leave the former river bank, nor had they heard Maiden Snake's hiss to not give up hope.

"Tell me about it later, 'Pearl.' If she gets too harsh, I'll tell mom."

"If there is a later, 'Rumi.' I don't think that will be for a while though."

The scarred landscape rolled past their tired eyes. They knew that they would be sick again soon, but the fresh air was worth it. If only they had been able to play in the water just once more though, then they could have been completely happy. It wasn't long before they had pulled up in from of Lily's home, and Chihiro's mother had escorted her to the door and exchanged words with Mrs. Tanaka. She dreaded her mother coming back, already knowing what her mom was going to say. It was always the same.

"Times change Chihiro. I don't know why you loved that nasty river so much, especially when you almost drowned in it, how it almost took you for itself. The 'river spirit' doesn't exist Chihiro. He was in your imagination the whole time."

As always, Chihiro never replied, only kept staring out the window where a line of blue and white had once coiled under the bright sun.

'If Haku was imaginary, then why does Ji-chan still talk like he was real? Is Ji-chan crazy too?"

* * *

Midnight currents wearily traced along the white moonlight of the young man's haori, the buried river detained at the desk that had been provided in his rooms for his use during his extended stay until he was hale enough to return to whence he had come from. In the absence of the air's movement, he seemed to be frozen in a state of concentration, although it was not on what was currently before his eyes. 

Nigihayami Kohakunushi, commonly known as Haku or Kohaku unless you were his friend Ten, sat at his desk located in the Spring Realm beneath the spring that had fed his river. One would think, that since his river was no longer accessible to the Human World, that the paperwork would slow down. That would be wrong. He still had just as much to do, except he was now cooped up in the Headwaters unable to go to either branch.

What hurt the most was that his most prized treasure was unprotected in the above world from the good intentions of her parents. Slowly, her mother was covering up Chihiro's inborn innocence. The eyes that had once been rather grey were swiftly becoming very brown as doubt began to gnaw at the child's mind. However, there was no way he could stop it. If he allowed her to see one of his puppets, especially in a weakened and transparent state, she would only be certain that her mother was correct. If he didn't, she would still slowly forget him. His only hope was that subconsciously she would remember how he had been there for her.

He had been staring at the same contract for ten minutes now, and had still been unable to wrest his worries away from the fragile little human child. Somehow, he would find a way to return to her, to protect her as he had sworn.

'Don't forget me, Chihiro.'


	3. Difficult Departure, Reunion of Loss

Courting the River Maid Collection

Difficult Departure, Reunion of Loss

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

This one is where Chihiro moves away from Kohakugawa Community at the age of nine. Set the day of the disappearance (god hiding).

* * *

His polished jade orbs gazed at her as she slept, a silent and long unrealized guardian over her dreams. Her cherubic face had been painted once more with the scarlet mantle of fever, yet another result of the strange infections that had repeatedly assaulted the children he so loved since shortly after his river's demise. Sweat matted her dark hair around her, the smell of illness and decay not phasing the amatuer healer spirit, and he watched a drop from her brow roll down, stealing the elements that kept her body in balance, only to deposit them in her sheets. 

Many of his beautiful living treasures, his precious children who had played by his banks, had been taken by or severely suffered from these diseases that were foreign to him. There were so many that he had no power to help, the parents having forgotten about him, or not believing in a lost kami's ability to heal, but this one was different. Somehow, he was linked to this, his most precious possession, the bond only having grown stronger as time had passed. As a result, he could help her heal even without her parents' lament, as he had many times before.

Concentrating hard, the cloth her mother had placed over her brow before going to bed was refreshed in the bowl of clear and cool water on the bedstand. This devoted spirit's creamy flesh paled to the color of moonlight as he channeled what little energy he could into the square of thirsty terrycloth. His magic infused this item, glowing a gentle blue for those with the gift of Sight, and the cloth was carried by his transparent hand, once more to grace her childish brow.

Pained eyes carefully opened at the touch, swirling masses of exhaustion and waning will staring through the spirit who was using so much of his strength to project a puppet to her sick bed, unseeing of her attendant.

"Rest Little Chihiro, gather your strength."

Somehow, her soul heard his words, a slight nod acknowledging his speech and a parched parting of breath allowing his full name to slip through, and then those listless storms of grey wind and brown earth slid shut once more. The beating of her heart slowed a pace, conserving it's strength, and he placed a soft kiss on the cheek of his favorite charge. His lips accidentally penetrated a little, and were burned by the heat of her illness, but he did not flinch back, transferring instead what he could into her to boost her health.

The wards around her family home flickered a little as the strain began to mount on the spirit, but he would squeeze a few minutes more from himself and his slowlywaning life force to lend her what comfort he could. With the flickering of the wards, so too did he become more transparent than he already was, barely a visible outline to mortal eyes this far from the healing waters. The inky shadows of his curtained hair blended with and were swallowed by the night, even the great white wings of his haori were barely visible betwixt the gloom and loss of essence. As the projection of the Kohaku River Lord stabilized again, a sigh escaped her lips and he felt a tug at his heart, gaining a bit of strength from the sheer presence of this strange little Pearl of his.

Soon she would be moving with her parents, away from this home that she had known for so many years, away from him, and most importantly away from these diseases that would strike and strike and strike again until the victim's body wore out from the attacks or finally built an immunity. If the child were to stay here, he could easily provide her material needs, sending servants to his priest to bring the gold to buy what she needed, but the child would die faster. Thankfully, the company Akio worked for, the same one who had doomed his home and earthly body, was transferring the family where the child would be safe. Now, if only she could take little Lily with her as well, but the Tanaka's were too deeply rooted in the growing and yet dying suburb.

The sun began to mount the horizon, Amaterasu herself riding the sky to light the world, her golden disk red as blood, chilling his soul. A sense of foreboding swept through him, that something dangerous would befall his Little Pearl on her move, something to be brought on her innocent head by parents who forgot their owninnocence. It was something he was powerless to prevent. He had so little presence left to himself, that even with all of his vast magic, there was no way he knew of to see her safely to the new home. As the first sunray touched the child's sleeping face, he faded away, retreating to his hiding place beneath his headwaters.

Later that day, his emerald jewels watched through a mirror far below the spring that had once fed his earthly body, that river who had brought so much life to the area. A pale child stood in a tight embrace with his Chihiro, both having the lackadaisical lackluster expression of illness mixed with sorrow and fear. The pale child had a bouquet of tiny pink roses, a small card tucked in to the florist's sale item, which had been graced with her childish script.

"Here Chihiro, these are for you. When you get where you're going, dry them and then you'll have them to forever remind you of the times we played together where our river used to be. Visit soon, ok?"

"Thank you Lily, they're beautiful. I'll see you as soon as I can."

"Call when you get there!"

"Ok."

"Chihiro honey, let's go."

"Head 'em up and move 'em on out family! Yee haw!"

Mrs. Ogino, Chihiro, and the three Tanaka's rolled their eyes at Mr. Ogino. He had been watching too many American Western Movies lately, and it really showed today. Final hugs were exchanged, and once the Ogino's had gotten situated in the lurking Audi, it pulled away. Chihiro was in the back seat looking forlornly through the rear window, like her whole life was being destroyed, which in a sense it was.

It was then that Nushi realized she wasn't even wearing her seatbelt.

"When are they going to pay attention to her! I didn't almost die just so _she_ can die a bloody death in a car wreck, careening through the windshield due to improper securing of her person! If I hear that her mangled corpse was spotted by any other kami of whatever type . . . I'll drown them in their bath tub . . . or attack them with the shower water! I don't care if it uses the last of my reserves or not."

Here below the surface of the earth, the spirit of the Kohaku River was not alone. Trapped as he was in a half existence due to a spell the dragon had cast on himself to remain in a state to help his cherished child, a the keeper of the life-giving spring had taken pity on his friend. Izumi Ten, the spring lord had joined his friend to see off the child that had a strange hold on his fellow dragon's heart.

Face held carefully flat and expressionless, Ten realized that Nushi was only finding something to pick at because he was so worked up over his prize human moving where he could not attend to her. Nushi had always been one to hide his deeper feelings when possible, due to how quickly his river would respond. However, there were times when even this placid and calm being could panic or rage, and the safety of the human could easily trigger this reaction. The river spirit had been carrying this grudge against Mr. and Mrs Ogino for five long years now, and it had not been helped by the fact that they still paid as little attention to the sweet nine year old as Nushi had complained about their doing since she was born. But really . . . shower water? That would look good in the papers.

'Ogino-san drowns in shower, method unknown. Yeah, I think that would go against the rules.'

"It's for the best they leave Nushi, once she gets over this case, she'll be safe from re-infection while you try to figure out how to cure it. Then more of the children will be able to be saved. Who knows, she may even come home some day."

"I know. It doesn't make it any easier."

Nushi walked away from the mirror, his sandaled feet beating out a mournful tune that only one who is so closely associated with water can muster, a pained and worried sigh the music's lyrical accompaniment. Tears shone in his eyes for his little friend, for the child he had sworn to protect and provide for always. Now, the only way to protect her was to let her go, to leave her in the fumbling care of those human parents who had forgotten the dangers of childhood, and it tore what was left of his heart to pieces.

Above, in the back seat of a speeding Audi hurtling towards certain doom on a busy freeway, with a madman behind the wheel singing terrible American Pop songs at the top of his dreadful singing voice, a little girl gazed sadly out the window, doped up on her fever reducers. She didn't want to leave behind the only home that she knew, her friends, even the school. It felt like she was abandoning something important, someone important that she owed a debt to. It was more than that though, there was a connection to the land that would never die, and it yanked at her heart with strings of steel, calling her to somewhere mysterious and in two directions at once it seemed. Filled with grief and confusion, she allowed herself a short nap, succumbing to the poisons from the viruses trying to kill her body as well as the medicines fighting to help her heal, buoyed only by the last strains of her dream guardian's healing spell. In her grief, Chihiro continued to clutch the gift from her best friend 'Rumi.'

As she fell asleep, she dreamed of when she was a child, and how she had once fallen into a river. This time, instead of the dream ending with the fall in the water and then washing ashore, she saw a flash of intense jade eyes surrounded by white fur, and felt the feel of horn pulling her to safety, soft fur and slick scale smoothing in a serpentine fashion against her legs.

The unseen yet strongly sensed barrier around her old home flickered and died, the magic traveling along a red thread that connected two souls, coming to rest to coil within the girl-child's own aura, a last parting gift from what her parents had said was an imaginary friend so many years ago. Simultaneously, that same red thread continued onward, pulling the one-day shrinemaiden toward where she could fulfill a duty that she knew nothing of.

In a bath house called Aburaya, a well known resort located in the Spirit World, a boy with steely green eyes restlessly tossed on his futon. The sobs of a young girl with rich earthy hair, eyes of storm and earth, and smelling of a long gone river and cherries filled his ears as in his dream his arms sought to lend comfort to a sick and scared human. Unheeded words spilled from his lips, whispers of water over smoothed stone.

"It will be all right Chihiro. Soon, I'm sure you will smile again."

In his dream, the child turned her tear-stained face to meet his gaze, more mud swirled to the surface of her watery orbs than the divine wind blowing through. The face of the child had grown older, no longer that of a three to four year old toddler, but a child barely beginning to reach the cusp of the changes slow and threatened puberty would bring her, maybe around nine or ten if he were to guess.

Bolting upright in his mussed nest of a futon, Haku abandoned the dreams he always fought to rid himself of, sweat sparkling in the furrowed rivers of a troubled brow. Study was his drug of choice to rid himself of threatening feelings welling within the husk of his ruthless heart, the bane of a thief or sorceress's apprentice. After carelessly straightening his room for the coming night of work, he sat at his simple desk to read an ancient tome recently assigned by the mistress.

How the Kama Sutra's wisdom could be applied in magic he still had yet to figure out, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to even try some of the stuff written about, but it was what he had to study at the moment. Of course, he wanted to study something else, almost anything else really.

He couldn't concentrate, so he put the tome away and instead began to pace as the anxious fluttery feeling inside his dry heart increased. Something half-remembered and fought against began approaching him, and a slumbering beast deep within began to stir in reaction to the coming reviving magic.

'What in the Seven Hells is on it's way?'

Hours later, Chihiro had awoken and the family entered the outskirts of their new and rural town. Akio Ogino, now having turned off the tape player long ago due to his wife's insistence, missed the proper turn and instead went down an abandoned road. Shrines to the wood kami-tachi were placed at the base of a tree, and Yuuko gave a quick explanation to her daughter of what they were, thinking how backward her father-in-law's belief system was. Chihiro thought it was odd to believe that spirits lived in boxes, remembering how her ji-chan's garden only had a torii and altar for offerings.

Akio hurtled recklessly down the dirt lane, anxious to get to their new home so that they could eat and unpack, also feeling as if something were pulling the car to itself. Brushing off that last thought, he laughed to himself, believing that the stress of the move was affecting him like it had when he had lost his realty job, causing his imagination to run wild. If he kept along that train of thought, he could almost imagine the river-spirit that supposedly protected his family calling his only daughter to himself, as she had insisted since she discovered the river missing.

He only slowed down when a hulking red gateway loomed ahead, barring his passage and stood guard over by a squat andJanus-facedstatue. His buried inquisitive and child-like side stretched a foot, resulting in the small family wandering past itto appease his curiosity. Chihiro had tried to prevent it, something whispering at her not to go, that it was dangerous. At the same time, a wind kami who had traveled with her encouraged her twice to go, howling in both warning and assurance, pulling and pushing her to where he knew her destiny was.

Having passed through the passage way, the child followed her parental figures, her wariness and the protective blessing of her guardian kami keeping her from falling for the traps that lay to beguile the greedy and impure.

In an overly done office, a squat old crone sensed the intrusion of several humans. Not wishing to leave her paperwork or her treasure, she sent her apprentice out to investigate. This move was her first mistake against the Pearl Soul who had stumbled into danger, her second was not knowing everything about the young river god that she had held captive by her cunning theft of his name.

As the young and divideddragon set eyes upon the human on the bridge, destiny's wheels began to turn. The child from his denied dreams had manifested, and the witch's hold on what was not destined for her began to weaken.

Such is the power of a pure love. Words from long ago echoed through his mind, spoken by a long buried part of himself filled with mercy.

'I will protect and provide for her to the best of my ability.'


	4. Free

Courting the River Maid

Free

Spirited Away, Haku and Chihiro belong to Hayao Miyazaki.

Chihiro's last few minutes of high school.

* * *

Red and white drifted through the hallways of her school, the little miko far removed from her family shrine that resided in her grandfather's garden hours away. The last day of school was always the best for her, a time that she could get away from the normal drone of life as her grandfather would be picking her up for the summer and for forever in just a little bit. Other students, wearing the school fuku, bustled by as they grabbed their things from lockers and dashed out of the doors.

Chihiro couldn't help but smile as she reached her locker, a virtual mini-shrine to her family's deity. As she opened the tiny locker to remove her books and other supplies for a final time before college, the dragon that was taped on the inside of the door seemed to take on a life of its own. The green eyes so carefully drawn had a joyous sheen as the meticulous mane seemed to wave in a phantom breeze. The priestess removed this item last, carefully tucking it into a folder before slipping it into her book bag and closing her high school locker forever.

The teenager had graduated early due to hard work, and was now moving back to her old community to attend her final years of school there. With application of dedication, soon she would be able to follow her dream of becoming an environmental consultant. What had happened to the beautiful river she had spent her young years by would hopefully not happen to another river if she had her way. To make things even better, the river restoration project was in full swing.

The maiden made her way out of her school and down the front steps with a smile on her face. She was free now, and going home. At the curb in a borrowed van waited her old grandfather, time having had her way with him and weathered him in a proud way. Spying her, he waved from the vehicle filled with the few belongings that she could not do without, shouting a blessing at her. In her excitement, Chihiro began to run, bounding down the steps as her miko fuku billowed behind like the flames of a phoenix.

She was free, and finally going home forever.


	5. The Maid Pounds The Cheese

Courting the River Maid Collection

The Maid Pounds the Cheese

By: LadyRainStarDragon

This is how the infamous Mr. Queso got off on the wrong foot in the first place. How the seriously outclassed guy came into her life to drive her nuts and indirectly cause frequent apartment floods. Pre-Rivers Never Die, this takes place during the river restoration.

* * *

He had moved to Japan for one important reason. It was a reason so important, that it was his tortillas, his agua, even his morning huevos. To be specific, his reason was pretty Asian girls. 

One in particular had caught his eye while he was watching the news, prompting him to finalize his plans to move.

She was a pretty thing, with childish innocence welling in her eyes as her lips pouted at the reporters not letting her get back to her studies. The teen seemed a little set in the traditional ways of her country, but he was sure that he could get her to loosen up with time. And so, here he was to volunteer his free time to this ecological project.

Acting concerned about the environment was not only good for the planet, but you could chase the wild girls too. Any girl who controlled themselves so tightly just had to be wild when she cut loose.

She studied his application carefully, raising an eyebrow every now and then at his 'accomplishments.' Maybe he had embellished a little too much, but his concern was wiped away as he noticed how her lower lip pouted when in thought.

'News pics sure don't convey that.'

"Queso-san, I appreciate your enthusiasm for the project, but was it really necessary to bring a 6 page resume, and 64 letters of recommendation?"

"Please, call me Senior."

'His given name really _is_ Senior? Doesn't that mean elder in English or Mister in Spanish, or some such as that? Did his parents hate him? I thought it was just a joke on his application.'

The extremely young de facto leader of the River Restoration Project was unimpressed by his rich brown eyes, although many other women had drowned in their Spanish beauty. The blazing gold that was his hair in the sun streaming through the window was exactly the opposite of what she dreamed as the perfect shade, and actually hurt her eyes. The strange European was intensely staring into her eyes, almost as if he was trying to will her into falling. They were nice eyes, but certainly not the intense jade orbs that were as green as the grass, haunting her dreams and filling dozens of pages in her college notebook.

One eyebrow stood delicately, communicating the owner's incredulity.

"I'm sorry Queso-san, but I have only just met you, so it would not be proper."

'Not to mention I don't think I can say it with a straight face.'

"I have been too presumptuous, forgive me my fair lady."

'Gag. He's laying it on thick.'

"Your culture is different than mine, it can only be expected. Now, you are fully aware that this position is without pay, as it is volunteering?"

"I am, and would gladly accept the position if it means helping to repair the environment."

'That sounded rather phoney.'

"All right, welcome to the team. Meet the rest of us in the park, you won't miss it."

From where he lounged in a darkened chamber, a certain splitriver lord glared at the view mirror that he was using to watch over the little child he had once known. The first poison fangs of jealousy had sunk unnoticed into the spirit's heart as he watched an attractive human male flirt with _his_ possession, _his_ destined attendant. What was worse, the boy seemed to be overly fake and operating purely on the energy of attraction. He wouldn't put it past this 'Queso' to be one of those dark magicians who lure unsuspecting virgins into base pursuits.

Green eyes glowed in the darkness, unseeing of the laughing brown ones creeping up from behind. Fresh and fertile mud watched in high amusement as the white dragon shifted and growled at the comely man that Ogino-san was now briefing on volunteer policy. They didn't miss the wandering eyes that caused hackle and scale to stand at attention, nor the fact that his friend was holding extra air within himself to appear even more intimidating.

"Eavesdropping again 'Nushi? I think you might be a little obsessed. It's not like he's going to Claim her with Koji-san standing there in the doorway 'sweeping' the hall."

The whoosh of breath now released to mingle again with the moist air and squeak of surprise was well worth the powerful tail lashing into his face. Ten would gladly tangle with a Tengu just to see the highly private dragon shrink to normal size from nearly four times the normal size.

"I was not eavesdropping!"

"Stalking then."

Brown scale flashed in the light provided by the mirror from the room in question, hissing as the other dragon wound himself into languid coils near his friend. He did not understand what drew Nushi to the human so much, but perhaps it had something to do with the vow of protection that he had customarily given for the children when he could still travel above.

"I am merely making sure that my charge is secure."

"Sure."

"I do not trust him."

Rich mud was turned over as jade tried to force through the troubled waters of the air.

The next morning dawned clear and pure, the breezes dancing with the windchimes on not so distant homes. His target, er . . . boss . . . was dividing up the work teams to take the new recruits into account. Lucky for him, he ended up on her team. It was time for his move.

Two dragons denned before a mirror below ground and miles away. One was a mass of bronze melting languidly as it munched a cauldron filled with a human snack called popcorn. The other was again swollen to four times his natural size, stiffly at attention as his piercing eyes tried to incinerate the 'evil male.'

"Such a lovely lady shouldn't be roughening her hands with manual labor. Please, Chihiro, allow me to do your share of work."

"What kind of comment was that! Do you think that after all the time I've put in on this project I'm not capable of digging a channel? And call me Ogino-san, I don't know you well!"

Two heads working at a nearby section looked up to witness the fireworks, eyes wide as they had never heard the soft-spoken woman so incensed. One pair of wild brown eyes watched with amusement as the guy got his just desserts. A smirk danced on his face as he settled in for the show, as Ryu had wondered if the Miko ever lost her temper. A fierce blue set watched in narrowed distrust as the man worked his way ever closer to the trembling flame blazing on the revealed riverbed. BlowingWind had not been here for long, but she had known the teenager long enough to know she was not going to tolerate this sort of thing. Slowly, the fuse on the Roman candle hissed and crackled, drawing ever closer to the magazine of powder.

"Oh no! Don't take it wrong, I only meant that I do not want you to strain your delicate muscles."

His hand caressed her chin, tilting it up for a kiss that never arrived. His face met instead with a hungry shovel, a faint sparkle of silver the only indication of the scrap of his power he had shot through his miko while she provided the physical impetus. The force of her strike revealed the fact that part of her miko training required by her grandfatherincluded martial arts.

'MINE!'

Nushi was very happy that he had always insisted that all keepers of his ways be able to defend themselves. He still would have rather ripped him into little pieces and stomped them into the ground to feed the little grass spirits.

Ten happily munched his rare treat as he watched the show unfold, including Nushi's tiny involvement. Maybe he should get a pet or a charge to guard over, and watch his or her adventures in the human world.

"Don't touch me, you hentai! I barely know you and you try to steal a kiss!"

In wonder, the man, barely out of his boyhood it seemed, gazed up at the Japanese girl from where he had landed. With each controlled breath her nostrils flared, like a dragon. Crackling eyes bored into his own, challenging him to try it again and see just how far he got. The wind kicked up again, some discarded leaves swirling angrily around her slender form, the sleeves and legs of her robes billowing like the mane of a wild horse.

Oh yes, he would have to tame this one. Finally, a real challenge.

"My apologies. I forget that your culture is so different, and mine is so relaxed compared to your own. But your wild beauty has stolen my heart away, and thought escapes me every time I gaze upon your loveliness."

Melted bronze coalesced enough to jeer at the floundering loser and fling a paw-full of popcorn. The river beside the bronze hissed his disapproval, only kept from his revenge by the lack of water in the vicinity of his target for attack. The fact that his possession was not actively attacking did not leave him that avenue of relief either.

"Just dig."

She would have gladly booted him, but there was the fact that they were seriously short on helping hands, and every body . . . no matter how disgusting . . . was needed.

Not much later in the day, the pair who had paused in their work to watch the newcomer had filled a wheelbarrow with dirt, and dumped it on the man who had molested their friend. The jealous spirit of the river who claimed the woman had spied on his rival the whole day, even watching when the man went home.

That night marked the beginning of the plumbing problems for the apartment complex built over the former river bed.


	6. Priestess School Sighting

Courting the River Maid Collection

Priestess School Sighting

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Disclaimer: I don't own Spirited Away.

* * *

Two young women were kneeling on cushions as an old man with salt and peppered hair and in blue and white Priest's robes kneeled opposite to them. The recent attacks and spectral visitations to this apartment that neighbored his own was worrisome to him. The crazy American woman was diligently practicing the protections that he had just taught the pair so that they could defend themselves from the evil beings that had been setting their apartment's shrine in disarray and breaking the dishes. One delicate hand fiercely clutched at something around her neck that was hidden by the green T-shirt she wore. 

It was the woman who should have been practicing, the newly officially acquired Miko for the New Kohakugawa Shrine, who was scoffing.

"Ji-san. I'll admit that ghosts are real, but demons? Where is the proof that demons still exist, if they ever did? Show me a real possession case, and I might believe you, but all we have ever done for exorcisms has been for people who are convinced their hair combs are stealing their hair."

"What about the Kami-gumi, Chihiro? Do you also deny their existence?"

Confusion washed her countenance as when one bathes in a river. Her first thought was that she did, but some deeper part whispered about dragons and magical beings both good and bad. She really didn't know what she believed any more. She had become a Miko because it was ancient Family Tradition, and she saw psychological benefit for others believing in spirits.

"No, I won't deny their existence, but I don't know. I don't think I've ever met one."

Koji regarded her carefully with his deep-set eyes. Every year, her parents worked at her more and more, trying to get her to give up the old ways and beliefs, to settle down and marry a 'nice' young man and raise a family. He had watched as she slowly laid her 'imagination' aside to fit in with friends and appease the woman who had given birth to the child. Every year, he saw more and more of the person she really was be buried deep into her subconscious. Their kami had not risked himself in order for her innocence and wonder to be lost. Surely he was furious that his special friend denied herself so much. Maybe he should have sent her with the Master of the Spring those many years ago when she was younger, so she could tend to their kami. But then, he would not have seen the woman she had become, and the river probably would not be almost back.

"It is true that the Kami are rarely seen now. However, perhaps they only hide themselves to be safe from the things that we as a race are doing to the planet. Some are able to take human shape as well. Who is to say that there is not one or more in this very room at this very time?"

Ryu looked up from his perch on the couch, pulling his nose out of the course-book he was currently perusing, a tome about original versions of fairy tales and legends. His black shirt bore the words, 'I'm a Living Legend' in bold white stencil slashed across the front, and red circled dragons on each sleeve. An otherworldly flash came from his eyes as the Daitoku and disguised dragon met gazes. Both felt the uneasy stir of something that had settled around the Miko like a fine jewel setting. Neither could identify it, and although it seemed displeased with something, neither did it seem malicious, or even like it was trying to hide, more like it wanted the woman to notice it. Whatever had been guarding the woman in the river lord's stead had been distressed by her admission, been weakened a little by her question of her own beliefs.

"Chihiro, do we have to see the air to know that it's there?"

Ryu's question took her aback, causing her eyebrows to run for the cover of her hairline.

"No."

"Do we have to hear from someone to know that we are loved?"

"Not always."

"Do we have to leave the planet to know that there is more to the Universe than us?"

"No."

"If we can believe in Aliens without meeting one, then why do we have to see spirits to believe in them?"

An inarticulate and thoughtful sigh passed through the Miko's nose as she shifted slightly. Closing her eyes, she could just feel something coiling around her, yet it felt like there was some barrier holding this love and peace away from her, like some dark demon didn't want her to know this energy seeking her. She was so lonely, even here with her family and friends. The winter was cold, and her heart felt barren and dry.

"No, we don't. You said to feel the Divine Winds swirling within and allow them to encircle me. All these years, and I still can't find them inside."

The barrier between herself and the presence seeking to hold her weakened, allowing it to draw closer. Pain welled inside her at her failure. BlowingWind was doing well in her studies. Why was it that Chihiro failed miserably in those exercises, and yet she was such a wonderful repository for the stories, legends, and other oral teachings?

Koji's eyes were twin pools of sorrow and pain as he answered her.

"Maybe your souls are not balanced."

"My souls?"

"As humans, we each possessfour souls that make our spirit. These are the Aramitama, Nigimitama, Kushimitama, and Sachimitama. The Aramitama is our daring and courage, and the Nigimitama keeps us from doing things we shouldn't do while encouraging us to do what is correct. Sachimitama contains our love, causing us to nurture and care, to increase beauty and peace, and to give ourselves to good causes. Kushimitama governs our wisdom, skillful accomplishment, objectivity, perception, and enlightenment. When these four souls work together, the spirit is healthy and in complete harmony, able to perform great feats and disposed to Good. When they are separated or not cooperating, then the human spirit falls into disease and disharmony, and is more likely to be completely uncontrolled or disposed to Evil."

BlowingWind had been listening as well. Some of the things happening in the area had been humorous, like when Chihiro's undergarments had gone missing, or when she had come to breakfast with kiss-bruised lips. That had been priceless really. The river lilies that appeared on the table occasionally for Chihiro had been sweet, and never failed to show up after a bad day at school. Apparently, the 'Apartment Ghost' as the similar apparitions had come to be dubbed by the complex had a soft spot for the Miko.

Woe unto the idiot Spanish guy named Mr. Senior Queso who kept trying to convince Chihiro to date him. His parents must have really disliked him, using the word Senior as his actual first name. It was kind of like naming your first born Number 1 and second born Number 2. Mr Cheese was a favorite target of the 'Apartment Ghost' and often suffered busted pipes that flooded him out of his bed in the middle of the night. Especially if he had tried to grope the poor girl at any time that day.

Other things hadn't been so benevolent, and the worst of them she and Ryu had quickly hidden from Chihiro. The black cat that had appeared one day had brought them tiny demons after killing them, which they burned as soon as possible. Oni could be seen by those with Spiritual Sight if they looked out the windows at night, schlepping their malicious way around the neighborhood searching for unblessed travelers out of doors or stealing into susceptible buildings to cause problems of many kinds. There had even been some attempts by indescribable shapeless creatures to win their way into Chihiro's bedroom late at night, keeping Ryu awake and listening quite often to keep the girls safe.

They had not told Chihiro. Even though she was a Miko, with untapped Power at that, she saw the world through logic shrouded eyes. Only when it came to the balance of Nature did she wax poetical and religious, though still keeping the festivals and rituals. Her focus unexplainably had focused around the deity of the river they were paused in freeing, and even she had not been able to adequately articulate her reasoning and offerings.

"What about Spirits and other Kami Koji? Do they have four souls too? Would an imbalance cause them to be Evil as well?"

"Good question BlowingWind. Humans are the only known beings with four souls. Kami possess only two, the Aramitama and the Nigimitama. You have seen the empty sake bottles outside of some of the Shrines of the Meiji period, am I correct?"

"Yeah. Shouldn't they just go into the recycling bin?"

"Offerings are made inside the Shrine to the kami's Nigimitama in thanks for its good deeds and keeping its foil in balance. The bottles outside the Shrine are offerings to a kami's Aramitama to keep it appeased. Without the proper respect, a kami can turn from a beneficiary to mankind and into an avenging demon so to say. Each kami has its own capacity for Good and Evil, and is subject to whichever aspect of itself is currently the strongest."

Silence filled the room as the Miko from Japan and her counterpart from North America absorbed the information. Chihiro's face was stormy and troubled as a lake in a rainstorm, having a question and finding no delicate way to phrase it. Finally, giving up, it tumbled out of her mouth in a confused torrent.

"Ji-san, a week ago you related to us a story where a woman lovely beyond compare was taken against her will by a sea dragon. He had forced her to marry him, but after that first time he was kind and considerate, repenting of his action and begging her to stay with him. Having lost her virginity, she had no choice as she was now no longer marriageable, being a noble woman, and he treated her with great honor until her family had her assassinated for abandoning the arranged marriage she was supposed to have entered into. Why this turn in the story? Does it have to do with which aspect was in power?"

Ryu refused to meet the Priest's eyes as he struggled for an answer. The story was a famous one among the various kami-gumi, one used to illustrate to young spirits the need to jealously guard their balance and to rectify problems before they grew too large. It also made him nervous, as he himself had come close to that brink on many an occasion with each cycle his girlfriend went through.

"Both sides of a kami have the capacity of devotion of one form or another. The Nigimitama, as is the same with a human, governs the husbandly or wifely feeling in a relationship. This is the urge to love and provide. The Aramitama has a similar urge, more closely related to lust and its achievement, but also has the desire to merge with and defend. When the two are in disagreement, it is a simple matter for lust to carry too far and force itself where a gentle hand could bring the same end with better feelings for both."

"That's only one face of a kami's imbalance though, isn't it?"

"Very good Chihiro. An imbalance between the two aspects can just as easily result in greed and avariciousness, hate of an unjustified variety, destructiveness, vice, or any number of things that also afflict man. That's why we learn and train, so that we can keep such disasters from happening when possible."

In her uppermost level of her mind, Chihiro was still unsure as to the truth of this matter, but her soul was convinced. A chill of fear swept through her as she imagined the floods that had been on the news in other areas of Japan, as well as China. The vicious earthquakes that claimed lives that had happened with out warning floated through her mind, often timed strangely close to some disrespect paid to the area of a large scale. Maybe, just maybe it was a real possibility.

The wave of fear was calmed by an inaudible murmur in her ear, which was tickled by a brush of furry cleft lip. The odd sensation of a pointed tongue then traced where her neck pulsed with the drum of her heart. It seemed like there were many meanings the unseen creature was attempting to convey, and the beat of her heart sped faster as a scent familiar to her childhood filled her nose.

Ryu, Koji, and BlowingWind narrowed their eyes, having seen the shimmer around the young Miko as she suddenly grew still, turned inward as the guardian spirit attempted to communicate with her. The smell of the spirit finally reached Ryu's nose, and his eyes widened in shock as he realized that whoever had guarded his friend was also the one who was slowly seducing her, slowly stealing away any chance that she would turn a favorable eye on any human suitor.

He would find out more about this 'Haku' that she called for in her night time dreams. If it turned out that this being was a danger, then he would pay for touching his friend.

Koji was confused at the energy that he felt rolling around his granddaughter. It was so similar to Tatsu or Kohakunushi's. Perhaps some relative had taken over after Kohakunushi's disappearance.

BlowingWind could just barely make out the spectral form of a pale dragon curling around her best friend. The tenderness that he displayed as he soothed whatever fear had bothered her enough to summon her guardian's presence was sweet, but why was Ryu growling? As suddenly as she had seen him, he faded away, an exhausted look on his face like he had been using what he couldn't spare. His eyes had been the last to fade, and it was puzzling how much they resembled that of the two ghosts who shared the same nickname.

Was the 'Apartment Ghost' more than a mere ghost? What did he want? Had he found what he had been searching for these few years they had rented this place?

Chihiro's attention was once again turned outward, a blush tinting her face delicately as a sunrise. The whole room was dumped out of the boat that carried them down the river of thought when a loud banging resounded through the silence.

"Mi Amour? Are you home?"

Koji looked ready to kill kittens as the European's voice filtered underneath the door. He absolutely hated 'The Cheese' as he had once caught the man about to grope his grandchild while she was busy digging.

Chihiro was also glaring at the door, and Ryu was preparing to open the door to beat the intruder up, when a humongous sound roared from Mr. Queso's apartment. One of his pipes had busted once again, and this happened so often that if someone had fired a gun outside, no one would have thought anything of it, only putting things up on tables and counters again.

"Ah No! The plumber just left, too!"

* * *

Reviewer's Corner: 

Jaded image - Four is my favorite so far also. Oh, and there will be more Sakananushi, I'm still working on it though.

Alaina - Ok, here's another.

Jojo - Thank you.

Kasha - grins

Jessica R - Ten would make a good court jester, that he would. (Ten: Hey! I'm nobility.) You can borrow him, as long as I get my ownership rights. (Ten: I'm not a piece of meat!) Have fun making him embarrass himself or others.

Nitengale - Yup, Ten is funny. (Ten: Hey! I have to be, otherwise Kohakunushi would make this all dull and boring with his seriousness.)

Rainbow - She went alright. I wouldn't want her pissed at me.


	7. Longing for a Ghost?

Courting the River Maid Collection

Longing for a Ghost?

Holding out for a hero (Frou Frou Lyrics) was originally used. That bugger just wouldn't leave me alone, I even woke up singing it. On April 27, 2005 I re-did this chapter to feature a song of my own composition to comply with fan fiction policy. Scene One is shortlybefore Lily/Rumi's passing in this universe (White Death). Scene Two is set in my mind just towards the beginning of Haku's lingerie thievery mention in 'Promise of a River,' but it could be any time before 'Rivers Never Die' picks up.

Song: 'Samurai, Sweep Me Away' by me of course.

Now, for the smarmy, suspenseful songfic that refused to die!

* * *

The first night of her summer, and the child was getting to take what she felt could be the most important test of her life. If she stayed out here all night, and brought her grandfather back a sign, then it would be time to start her training to be a miko. At last, if she was gifted with the sign to show, she would learn of the secrets that her grandfather was always hinting at to her. Maybe it would help her recover that lost period of time from last summer. She didn't know for sure, but she had to try. Something was calling for her to do this, and she would answer. 

The eleven year old child sat gazing gently into the still waters of the spring. Her brown hair hung down her back in a simple pony tail, light glimmering off of the hair band that she always wore. The archaic and pure white garb of a Shinto miko aspirant made her seem as if she were the ghost of some long dead priestess still holding vigil. The moon was just beginning to grow into a tiny crescent that rose into the sky, mirroring in its own barely started journey that of the child below. All around her the forest crouched, testing her, tempting her, offering her more immediate secrets. She could feel the call of adventure attempting to lure her away from where she was supposed to be keeping her vigil. She did not answer, grandfather had warned her that the spirits would test her and try to tempt her away from where he had stationed her.

The kami that they were dedicated to no longer traveled their own world, and so it was best to remain where she was. The spring was the entrance to the world he now lived in, and here only would she be able to commune with him.

Instead of wandering away, the child sang, as she had found herself doing quite often recently. Grey eyes closed in peace as the odd words rolled off of her tongue and past rosy pink lips. She did not know where she had heard the song, or what language it was in, but it always brought her a sense of safety when the incomprehensible words floated in her mind or allowed her to form them in her mouth.

The voices murmuring in the woods fell silent. The child belonged to one of their own, and as they recognized now who the prospective miko was, the other spirits also knew what revenge would be extracted upon them if they harmed her. This was the child that the former lord of the Kohakugawa had risked his very existence to protect, and she had borne his mark upon her soul since before she could even be able to remember. The rest of the night passed uneventfully for the new dedicant, and after her song, the words faded into the ancient prayer chants for the ability to help her community, and her willingness to serve her kami and from there into a new chant from her very soul.

"Nigihayami Kohakunushi, your river no longer runs free through fields of rice nor is it held by trees. Forgive what we humans had done to you, and return to us once more. I seek for you below the slowly bubbling waters, and deep within my heart. Nigihayami Kohakunushi! Allow me to serve you and heal the damage that my people have done to you. I, this lowly human, am yours to do with as you wish. Nigihayami Kohakunushi! Forget not your children stranded on the dry land."

The water stirred with her words, but no other clue was given as to the presence of her kami. Sometime that night during her chanting, the child could have sworn she heard someone call her name from in the spring. Shortly after, things went blank.

She awoke in the morning with the odd feeling that someone had been watching her, and a curious pebble in her hand that looked like it had once been in a river. Was this the sign that Ji-chan wanted? All she could do was to show him, and he was walking up to her now from the footpath as the birds sang in the dawn.

* * *

The dark-haired child was older now, around the age of 16 or 17 if we were to judge by appearances. Her gangly form had filled out long ago into luscious curves that were hidden by her modest miko garb of red and white. Only just barely had she escaped from her annoying pursuer, and was releasing her tension by sitting beneath a moon that would be at its full in but a few days. She had been restless that night, and so had gone for a walk, stopping in at a convenience store to pick up her monthly necessities while she remembered them. She would not be due until around the new moon, but it was always better to be prepared. It was always inconvenient to be caught unprepared, always. Sadly for her, Queso had also been out, having an ice-cream craving. 

She had never been so glad that the late night cashier was so slow at the old fashioned ice-cream stand.

Stealing a quick look around her, the teenager saw that there was no one around to hear her. It was rare anymore that she could sing without someone overhearing her, and since it was late she didn't expect anyone to intrude on her solitude. By now, the words of a nameless lullaby in a tongue strange to her had been all but buried. Tonight she would not sing that, but something that she had heard on someone's radio recently, as it kept rattling around in her brain.

Temporarily free of the Spaniard who seemed to have a rather unhealthy fixation on her, Chihiro took down her ponytail to let her hair spill behind her back freely. She really was getting quite tired of telling the man no, and for once, she actually wished that she had a boyfriend to tell the guy off. In other words, she was feeling really low.

Everywhere I turn, I see another face,  
But not the one that sets my heart to race.  
Where is the One that can send me to my knees?  
All I want is lost in some breeze.

It seems like every where I go  
All I meet is that darn Queso.  
I just want to know where is my Kami,  
To keep me of him free?

I see jade eyes every time I dream.  
Is it my imagination, or more than it seems?  
My nights are restless as I lie beneath my sheets.  
Why can I never, ever fall for guys I meet?

Truthfully, she did toss and turn at night. Her dreams were always filled with green eyes filled with an intense passion that would steal her breath. Even in waking, she could still feel his hot breath, and evensmell the sweetness of his breath. Gentle hands would trace her body, anointing it with tingling memory while soft lips and sharp teeth would nibble and suck. At times, she wondered if it were some form of vampire, as every once in a while she would awake to be greatly tired, or find a bite in strange locations that were thankfully easy to hide although rather private. However, there had never seemed to be anything threatening about her dream visitor. He had always asked her permission in her dreams as well, a far cry from Queso, who would just try to take whatever small bit he could. If only a dream lover would be enough to hold him at bay. However, she was training as a miko, certainly she should not allow such base thoughts to follow her. What would her kami think?

Samurai, come and sweep me away,  
Take me to wherever you will stay.  
Rescue me from this world of sin,  
Please, keep me far away from him.

The hall in the castle of my heart,  
Lies shrouded in the dark.  
I wait to hear the cock's crow,  
and for the light to grow.

You need to be swift, need to be sure  
That's what may cause this heart to stir.  
Courageous and bold,  
Dare you take my heart to hold?

Fight the beast of dark despair  
That keeps me captive in his lair.  
Hold your blazing torch up high  
And bring the sun into my sky.

The gentle breeze that had been blowing stopped, resting and listening. While she sang the words of the song, she thought about her life. Something was missing, but she wasn't sure what. The vision of jade eyes holding her own faded, and instead she saw a boy in her inner eye, as he pulled her behind him, dashing madly through a maze of . . . what? A name floated to the surface of her troubled brain to sink below again, the name of the kami that was her tutelary deity for her training.

'Nigihayami Kohakunushi.'

In the darkest watch of the night  
My dreams do take to flight.  
Led by twin orbs of choicest jade,  
And I shallgo where I am bade!

Always here inside my soul,  
You cause it to burn like a coal,  
Longing always for your touch,  
Is watery love far too much?

Somewhere beyond the borderland  
Is that mysterious reaching hand.  
Raging in the floodwaters or calm in the heat,  
It will take no mere man to sweep away my feet.

Now there was an older man, maybe only a little older than she was now. She couldn't see many of his features, but she could tell he was strong. He walked along a calm river, softly playing on a flute while a little girl danced along behind. He too, had those haunting eyes. That vision faded away as well, and Chihiro found herself standing by a white azalea, a bloom in her hand.

Samurai, come and sweep me away,  
Take me to wherever you will stay.  
Rescue me from this world of sin,  
Please, keep me far away from him.

The hall in the castle of my heart,  
Lies shrouded in the dark.  
I wait to hear the cock's crow,  
and for the light to grow.

You need to be swift, need to be sure  
That's what may cause this heart to stir.  
Courageous and bold,  
Dare you take my heart to hold?

Fight the beast of dark despair  
That keeps me captive in his lair.  
Hold your blazing torch up high  
And bring the sun into my sky.

The winds picked up from their rest, swirling her hair around her as she made her way to her fishes that she had adopted. They technically belonged to the landlord, but Chihiro was here every day to feed them and talk to them. It was funny, but there were times when she was sure they understood her. It would be nice to have someone understand her as well as Ryu understood her friend BlowingWind, or to be treasured as much as she was in her personal dreamworld. However, none that she had met had felt right to her, there had always been something missing. She had always wanted something . . . more. So she never dated anyone, being content with being friends.

Why? Who was she holding herself for? Did she reject men because she was still a miko and not a nisou? Or was it something else?

Throwing out a handful of crumbs for the hungry fish, she felt a pair of eyes boring into her soul. Calmly, she looked around, pretending that she was unaware of any eavesdropper. There was a displeased feeling, and in the distance she heard the town clock strike midnight. Now would be the time that it would be the easiest for spirits to manifest in her world, and there was a chill that swept up her back. Was someone really there, or was it just her imagination running rampant again?

The clack of someone's wooden sandals alerted her that there was some one coming. Turning to face it, the words kept flowing, pulled from her by some unheard command. Some spell hadsurely gripped her, causing her body to forget its natural urge to flee and hide from the unknown that was approaching. She longed to escape, but the familiar light yet heavy feeling foiled every attempt to regain control of herself, and briefely she felt like some cliche character in a supernatural romance novel.All around her, her body stilled, unable to turn and flee. Chihiro's heart thundered like the storms that could sweep the area seemingly at any time. It was slow and methodical, as if it were searching for something.

No. Someone.

At the pinnacle of the mountain,  
Or at base where waters fountain,  
Deep within the dark forest,  
When well or at my poorest,

Even from beneath a distant sea  
I feel some one watching me.  
In the snow and in the rain,  
Or lost in fields of cane,

Through the flood or fire,  
His presence rises higher.  
I still feel his steady coming  
while my nerves are humming.

The sound continued, drawing near to her. Soon, whoever it was would be rounding the bushes, following the flagstones into her sanctuary. Still, she felt his eyes through the thick hedge that separated the apartment garden from the intruding energies of the street. The wind, which had been gently stirring her robes, picked up a little more, and the warning tingle grew stronger as it spread from her back through the rest of her body. Her hair stood on end, bristling in preparation for the kami themselves only knew what.

Was her spectator and captor a spirit? Was the Apartment Ghost coming to steal her away as repayment for the things he had been doing for her?

The times when she was young and scared flashed through her mind's vision. The time she had fallen in the river, or the thunderstorms that had used to terrify her, these blended with her father getting them lost in a blizzard on a skiing vacation. She remembered also when she was about six and unusually bad rainstorms had flooded the district, threatening to wash much away. However, every time something had kept her safe.

After what seemed like ages, the steps rounded where the bush was, but nothing was seen to her eyes. The shadows lay where they had fallen, the boulders crouching quietly in the grass. It had been her imagination after all, the echoes of someone walking home late, just like she had. And yet, why did she still feel as if she had a spectator, biding his time, waiting for her. It could not have been Queso, as he would have just come in and handed her some cheesy line.

As the priestess turned back to her task of feeding the fish, she sat down on the bench. The firmness of her words faded as she fell back into thought, musing over her odd craving for . . . someone. No louder than whispers, the words tumbled out like raindrops in a gentle summer storm.

Samurai, come and sweep me away,  
Take me to wherever you will stay.  
Rescue me from this world of sin,  
Please, keep me far away from him.

The hall in the castle of my heart,  
Lies shrouded in the dark.  
I wait to hear the cock's crow,  
and for the light to grow.

You need to be swift, need to be sure  
That's what may causedesire to stir.  
Courageous and bold,  
Dare you take my heart to hold?

Fight the beast of dark despair  
That keeps me captive in his lair.  
Hold your blazing torch up high  
And bring the sun into my sky.

An indrawn breath from behind her, then the rustle of wind blowing through a sturdy material filled her ears. Invisible arms wrapped around her form as her stormy and distant eyes widened. Her nose was filled with the sweet smell of a strong river, and her vision tilted. Black hairs shifted into her vision and tickled her nose as her face was crushed into a white and blue shoulder. The body was so warm and firm, but where had he come from? She had looked around and there had been no one. Was he a ghost? There were so many stories of ghosts whisking away human women, were they true then?

If they were true, and the ghost had decided he was going to take his payment from her now, Chihiro had no defense. She had no magic, had not tapped any mystical abilities despite how she would try. The only good she was as a miko was to assist her grandfather and as a repository for ancient wisdoms she was so slowly learning.

Hundred-fold did her racing heart increase its already frenzied pace. The gentle reprimanding murmuring in her ear was incomprehensible to the seriously spooked maiden. There had been no one there! The echoes had come around the bend and she had seen no one, although she had been watching. Who was he? The man began kissing along her neck, growling possessively all the while. The growls finally cut through her panic, and she was able to understand one throaty word.

'Mine.'

Her senses were overwhelmed, and she lost memory of what came next.

* * *

Haku frowned as he looked at the limp young woman in his arms. Even in his dreams, it seemed that he could never get what he desired with his loved one. He realized that it was silly to get frustrated over a dream, and that he could easily just wake up and take care of his problem in myriads of ways, but something compelled him to put her to bed first. 

Leaving behind the simple garden, he followed a stone path that led to a large building. He knew that these were apartments, although one unfamiliar with the concept may think of it as some sort of mansion. Concentrating, the door opened to him, and he followed his instincts and nose, hoping that he was going to right way.

As he went up the stairs, the smell of what had to be her lair grew stronger, and so he followed it more, coming at last to a door that absolutely reeked of her wonderful scent. He had to suppress a shiver of delight at being so near her own lair. Among his kind, one's home was closely guarded, and to get in to the lair of a favorite female . . . well pheromones were responsible. It was just his luck that she was in her fertile time and he needed to hold back from what he really wanted, especially since she was sleeping.

Even in his dreams, he did not dare take her.

Slipping quietly through the door, he realized that she denned with two other beings. At least their scent signatures would help him a little.He would just have to be careful not to get caught in this dream. It would be nice to see what his Chihiro really looked like though. Imagination can only take one so far.

He hadn't realized how difficult holding a large sleeping body in one arm while trying to shut the door quietly with the other really was. To him, the soft click sounded like a gunshot. Yet, no one stirred. It was much the same getting into her room, causing him to stand behind the door holding his breath for long seconds until he heard deep breathing resume again where the sleepers were in some other room.

Carefully Haku laid out his prize on the bed, paying no attention to the clothes, but to the form hidden by said cloth.

'I can't leave her like this. I wonder where in here she keeps her sleeping garb?'

"Haku."

The new nuance to her scent hit him like the whole ocean had suddenly been dumped on his back. Dreaming eyes opened slightly, twin storms swirling and locking with his own jade, pulling him closer.

"Haku."

'Great. I can't leave her like that either.'

* * *

When she awoke in the morning, she was in her bed. The dreams had come to her again. What could they mean? Why did she feel like she had not been alone last night, and how had she gotten into her pajamas? How had she gotten in her bed anyway? Furthermore, why was her sports bra neatly sliced in half and tossed carelessly to the other side of the room? 

Why was she so lonely?

* * *

Rain's Replies 

Jaded image - Yes, I conceive of Ten as rather powerful, after all, he is a young spring god. He can still stand up. It also sheds a little more light on why females tend to shy away from him too, doesn't it? I might use the descendants of Ten's kittens later.

Katsy - Thanks

Mooncinder - Yup, this summer.

Shiro Ryu - How'd the test go? I don't think this collection is going to have a real ending. It's more like a collection of peeks into their lives than anything, and will have moments from childhood, adulthood, before Chi's death, and even after her death. And yes, I write it before I post (spell checking and editing gets done that way, and I can catch most of the mistakes).

Jojo - We probably will see more.

Sakurablossomskxk - Thanks.

Nitengale - Yup, cat.

Monchi - glad you liked it.

Alaina - Queso might not ever learn.


	8. Moonlight Serenade of a Busy Maid

Courting the River Maid Collection

Moonlight Serenade of a Busy Maid

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Ever wonder what song Chihiro was singing that she cherishes so? I did after I wrote her signing to herself. So I wrote a song. It's my song, but you can borrow it if you ever want for some odd reason.

Note: I forget which of the other fics I had her singing in, but this is the song. Forgive me, but everything here did not write itself in chronological order, which is what is currently being done at the time of this note.

I'm calling the song 'Promised Again to Meet' for now.

Fluff just isn't leaving me alone. This particular zombie bunny is set sometime during the revival of the river.

* * *

Sweet notes of multiple hued mood lured the maiden out of her warm bed and into the garden of the complex. A small koi pool reflected a pale moon wreathed with stars, and gentle breezes kissed her skin through the thin seafoam silk that sheathed the sword of her body. The loose cascades of her hair were an indeterminate dark wave, lapping about her small shoulders. On one wrist, a purple gleam danced, accentuating the delicate bones carrying the tiny hands that clutched the fabric close to her pure breast. 

Weak knees barely carried her to the small bench next to the edge of the pool, where she collapsed from the haunting beauty of the lonesome melody now tugging at her heartstrings, causing it to sing an answering song. Numerous koi came to the surface from under the lily pads, hungrily begging their most frequent visitor for some breadcrumbs that she always kept in a plastic bag nearby.

Unthinkingly, she obliged the lonely souls. The music had cast a spell on her of sorts one would say, and she desperately wished to see the face of the flutist now serenading her. The song was a familiar one, a song that her grandfather had taught her to play long ago, and tremulously, she allowed the words to warble from her throat. She just had to sing it, but she was afraid the mysterious musician would stop.

A Maiden plunged into cool depths,  
On the hot summer day.  
Bandits' greed chased me down steps,  
For gold they would slay.

Within the river water swift and pure,  
There I used to play.  
Now peace or death itself was my lure,  
safely below, to stay.

Swollen lips passed hot desperation,  
To surface in bubble fair.  
Ebbing breath was the incantation,  
Summoned from his lair.

Water Rising boiled harsh the surface,  
Fierce his angered glare.  
Justice Swiftest had been the purpose,  
Not a one did he spare.

The music only grew louder, closer, and more poignant. It seemed to well up from the fish pond to swirl about her, caressing her with fingers of purest emotion, coaxing the old words she drew such comfort from out of her throat to bejewel the very air. As her confidence grew, she relaxed into the music, allowing it to flow through her, channelling a power familiar and yet mysterious. She melded with the notes, and a low thrumming seemed to start at her feet when she allowed the notes full reign of her vocal chords, to well easily from within her soul.

River Maiden woke to see his smile,  
Captured in one beat.  
Yet roaming Lord did I beguile,  
By my scent so sweet.

By his river each stayed in wonder,  
Lost in discourse discreet.  
Beneath love's spell we did blunder,  
Promised again to meet.

At last, the awaited day gay did come,  
Gladly I left behind.  
Of my hiding my past Clan did drum,  
No Maid they'll find.

Ihave gone beneath racing waters,  
Sup'd on his river weed.  
I give him both sons and daughters,  
Regal, he fills my need.

'Look to the sky, my Oshii Koi.'

Wrapped up in the beauty of the music between two displaced souls, and not questioning why the strange and familiar voice came from within her mind, the Maiden obediently turned her windy orbs to the Heavens. The Leonid Shower was especially lovely this night, and wandering souls streaked across the skies in vibrant array to their new lives. She had always loved to watch the meteor showers, and she had been so busy with college, and training, and all the things related to her river, that she had almost forgotten about it.

Here beside this wild and raging river,  
This Miko awaits fate.  
No pure arrows fill my waiting quiver,  
Broken by their hate.

Now before the Wrathful I do shiver,  
They Force me my Mate.  
They have affronted my Life Giver,  
Who controls my Gate.

To the surface I'll no more return,  
Unless they ken why.  
I don't understand why they Spurn,  
Gifts of sea and sky.

For my kin, my Love will always burn,  
Despite harrowed cry.  
I wished again to seemy Father Stern,  
Yet, no more will I sigh.

As she stared in awe at the wild beauty of nature, she did not notice what had entwined itself in one section of her waving mane, secretly securing a small braid that swept wayward hair away from her face. Twin polished jade orbs glowed with golden blessing upon the entranced land-bound koi as his lips smiled around the bamboo flute that was soothing her loneliness. Ebony hair swam about in streams, lost to view as it wound through the floating lilies and the fish who decided to decorate it while he occupied the water that was once his.

Take me home, O my Beloved Lord,  
No longer I understand.  
Please dear Love, sheathe your sword,  
Just hold my empty hand.

Let us leave behind this seething hoard,  
Who balk so at this band.  
My faith in this choice is now restored,  
With you I take my stand.

My tolerance, even the smallest piece,  
Is Torn away, every scrap.  
I'll find solace in your hoary fleece,  
For the Pure I leave a map.

Scaled coils give far more sweet peace,  
Than even mother's lap.  
Within your watery arm doth fear cease,  
And love soothing wrap.

"Beautiful."

Satisfaction gleamed in the water spirit's eyes, giving a mysteriously cat-like appearance to the eyes set in the watery face reflecting on the surface of the koi pond. This guardian spirit knew how much his little fish was overworking herself, and she was long overdue for another dose of wonder. He allowed the music to fade away, to leave her alone with her thoughts under the constant guard of one who lay hidden in the grasses.

'Wait for me Mai Takara Shinju. I shouldn't be much longer.'

Her reply to his request was dreamily sighed to float on the winds as her pale breast flashed in the moonlight, hands lying forgotten in her lap. She did not know who her heart was waiting for, but she was confident that he would come to her one day, a swirling mass of white and blue to sweep her away from the idiots who affronted her every chance they had. A tear pearled at the corner of her eye to roll lazily down her face, over her lips, and then to fall from her chin into the pool. The eyes of her guardian widened as it dropped onto his own, an indirect kiss from she to he filled with all her unfathomable and confused longings and desires.

Understanding filled the being's eyes as he understood what they had grown into during their separation, a blush spreading at the young man's cheeks. He nodded to the one who had just unknowingly promised herself to him, even though he knew she would not see.

'I shall see what I can do to grant that wish.'

The words whispered through her mind, curling caring and testing tongues around each unconscious desire of the Pearl waiting for a fitting setting. As the face faded from the pond, the koi again rose to the surface to stare at the human who took care of them the times that she lived here. Another sigh escaped rosy lips offset by the delicate purple lily winding through the braid at the side of her face as two score more meteors streaked through the ocean of sky.

Seated in the grass by a little green snake, an eavesdropping wind kami rolled his eyes and made gagging motions. The snake nodded a grinning agreement. It had taken the former lord of the river long enough to understand what his love had grown in to.

Leaning out of a window above Chihiro from the apartment building, a shock of pale hair gleamed under the moon as he watched the woman who had been singing to herself. He had heard no haunting music, save for the dulcet tones produced by the woman he had been trying to catch. Neither had he seen the spirit of the river that had visited the lonely soul to ease her pain.

All he knew, is that the song the Shrine Maiden sang provided some odd reminder as to why she refused to date anyone. All he wanted was to take her to dinner, maybe even get a kiss. Ah well, if it were easy, he would have moved on to chase another difficult prize . . . Like that cute American girl who had joined the project in the same year he had. He preferred Asian girls though.

Mr. Queso began a serenade of his own, as a Latino's serenade is hard to resist, but she had already begun singing softly to herself again as she resumed feeding the fish. She did not hear the lusty notes strummed from the strings of his fine Spanish guitar, nor did she hear the love songs that _he_ had grown up with. Daring rescues, passionate vows of love, such was what he considered a love song, not the depressing songs ending in a loss of some kind such as what he found here.

Suddenly, a loud pop came from his kitchen, and the man's European decor filled apartment was flooded for the fifth time this week. If he didn't know any better, he would have said he had a poltergeist.

It was a good thing he didn't believe in ghosts, but this plumbing was getting expensive.

* * *

Oshii - Precious 

Koi - Love / Fish

Mai - My

Takara - Treasured

Shinju - Pearl


	9. Snapshot

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Snapshot

By: LadyRainStarDragon

A moment of pure fluff that would not leave me alone. I mean it! It just kept popping up! It was like the Energizer Bunny . . . going, and going, and going.. The snapshot will make a cameo appearance in 'R. K. F.'

This flower in the bouqet is set within 'Rivers Never Die' and is while they are clearing out the spring, but before Chihiro pushes Haku in.

* * *

The teenagers were clad in traditional garb, and made a good pair, like sun and rain coaxing fields to grow. The white and red of her miko garbs complemented the boy's blue and white very nicely. The old man wasn't sure what the boy's outfit denoted him as, but he wore it well, and there was a certain power about the boy that satisfied the old priest. He would be very good for his granddaughter. 

The pair worked quickly and efficiently, if you didn't count the frozen moment each time that they accidentally brushed up against each other. Each time one of the young men that had been bothering her came close, one glare from him was enough to warn them away from her, and he was left uncontested for her attention after a short time.

The work continued, but when a rock shifted wrong, it caused her hand to become pinched. Of course, this elicited a hiss of pain from the miko, causing the young man to stop what he was doing and check on her. Frowning slightly as he examined the angry red mark on her pale hand which was ever so slightly roughened on the palms and fingers, he fiddled with it a bit as he slipped into the healing methods that he had most recently trained in. The smooth contact of his fingers brought chills to the teenager, and she desperately stomped down memories of the thoughts that had caused her dilemma in the first place lest he somehow sense them. It didn't even register to her that his mere touch was easing her pain.

"Not paying attention to your work?"

"Gomen Haku-kun. I was . . . distracted."

The honorific rolled off of her tongue smoothly, the miko not even realizing that she had said it. As she had been facing him at the times that both the accident and her zoning out occurred, he could easily guess what she had been distracted by. Having no plausible way to cover up what had been stealing her attention, the only option left to the girl was to blush. By refusing to deal with guys other than in a sibling-type role, she had no experience as to what to do in this situation.

"You know, while you are moving things is not the best time to enjoy a view."

"But it was such a nice view."

Catching herself too late, she blushed a little deeper, but couldn't help but laugh when he did, still holding her hand. Another couple nearby had paused to watch the exchange, their attention having been grabbed when she had made her noise of distress. Seeing that the old man was going to take a picture of the two flirting, they silently agreed to make it one truly tease worthy. They took advantage of the pair being absorbed by each other, sneaking up and joining the two as they were immortalized forever in the Fluffy Moment Hall of Shame.

Not much longer after, the grandfather walked off happily to find other photo opportunities. The pair had looked like such a happy pair of fluffy bunnies, and it was only accentuated by the bunny ears that the other pair had given the occupied couple.

* * *

Rain's Replies 

Kasha - It's never happened to me, but I have seen it. Boyfriends will always take advantage of that though. It's something like Murphy's Law #99.

Tippy-chan - I'm updating . . . now. Look there it is!

Kabashka - It would hurt. Of course, she could always have a lump of flesh to throw into the sea, too.

Jojo - But she did admit!

Jaded image - You know that, I know that, everybody else knows that. Chihiro is just so darn stubborn. I guess that's why it took the threatened end of the world for him to get her. ;)

Nitengale - Not oblivious. I think part of her realizes it (why else does she keep fantasizing after telling herself no). More like, chooses to be blind.

Alaina - calmly watches Alaina dart all over the place . . . from a floating broom. You may want to get your shiny checked, because it still looks like a potato masher. Maybe Sesshoumaru switched it while you weren't looking. Here's your update.


	10. The Ball's In Your Court

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

The Ball's In Your Court

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Miyazaki owns Spirited Away. All I have are aspirations and original characters.

Another waiting window in 'R.N.D.' that wouldn't leave me alone.

* * *

Ping. 

Pong.

Ping.

Pong.

BlowingWind and Ryu had been playing a friendly game of ping pong for the last ten minutes. Back and forth went the little round ball, dragging Lin's eyes with it. Other than the sounds of the game, the room was filled with silence. The old man, whom Sen referred to as 'grandfather' was meditating in one corner, Haku doing the same in an opposite corner. How either could actually meditate with the infuriating sound she could not fathom.

She smelled it then, the extreme tension had just wafted over to her from the dragon, and he looked a little uncomfortable on a closer inspection. It seemed that he was failing at what he was trying to do.

"They're still at it?"

Turning to the door way, Lin saw what was distracting her friend. Her scent was heavy, and as she stood there in white pajamas with her hair still damp from her shower, Lin barely hid her smirk. No wonder he had been uncomfortable, her body was announcing fertility. She could have fun with that.

"Yup. Neither one wants to lose. They just keep hitting the ball back and forth, neither getting anywhere. So, what have you been doing since the bath house?"

"School, environmental activism, growing up. Nothing unusual."

Lin got to see both males wince at how blasé she made the normal course of childhood passing sound.

"What? No boyfriend?"

"Ew. Why would I want one of those?"

BlowingWind choked on her laughter as she hit the ball back into Ryu's court.

"Hey! I heard that laughter Wind! What was that supposed to mean?"

"Well, why would any girl in their right mind want a boyfriend? Nothing but trouble."

Smack!

Whack!

Smack!

Whack!

"Lin. Not everyone is like you."

"What's the matter Haku? Why wouldn't she want one?"

"Men are disgusting, dirty pigs with one thing on their mind."

Ryu couldn't help but laugh at how ruffled Kohaku sounded as he spoke. Did he not consider himself a man? Even better, he had just incriminated himself of the base thoughts of . . . procreation. Of course, the laughter made him mess up his shot. The ball took a convenient detour through the air, sailing in a lovely arc only to manage to go down Sen's pajama top and lodge in her bra.

"Ha! I win Ryu!"

Chihiro looked down in shock. She had been hit by powerballs in the face during their matches, had tea splashed on her when they landed in her cup, and fallen on stray balls that rolled under her feet at the wrong time, but this was a first. What was the worst part was that Haku had seen the undignified incident. Sen was completely and totally mortified. What must he think?

Haku was a little shocked, a little worried that it hurt, and a lot embarrassed. Of course, his mind was also now somewhere he had been trying to keep it from now as well, what with the location of the lodging.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah. I'll . . . be right back."

Lin leaned back, her personal mission going very nicely. There was plenty of time till they got the river flowing again, and she was going to get back at Haku for whatever he had done to her that day after he had played with the wolf pack.

"Best 5 of 9!"

"You're never going to beat me at this rate. Besides, thanks to your clumsiness, Chihiro's got the ball."

"Yes, she does."

Kohaku stood and drifted outside, leaving Lin to rub her nose in thought while the other three looked at each other to find out what they had missed. The tension between the miko and kami could be cut with a katana it was so thick, and Lin decided that she was going to make certain a bit of it was cut by the time she had to go back to the onsen.

* * *

onsen - bath house 

Rain's Replies:

Jojo - I so wanted him to leave the imps too, but he surprised me. Ah well, if he had, they would have just bred like roaches and reinfested the whole community all over again. So it was mercy out of preserving his miko.

Fan - Thanks.

NitenGale - It was in 'Rivers Keep Flowing.'

Alaina - Ok! I'm updating. Put the potato masher down and back away slow-like. ;)

Jaded image - Thanks. There is a reason that Chihiro has put up such thick blinders though.


	11. Games

Courting the River Maid Collection

Games

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Takes place between when Kohaku and Nushi were recombined and when the river began to flow in 'Rivers Never Die.' A window on what they did while waiting for the funds to move the really big rock.

The day that Tatsu and Fujiyama discuss can be found in 'Promise of a River.'

* * *

_Click._

Yang placed itself on the squares of the game board, met moments later by Yin joining him, blocking his objective. Her taunts were sweet and served to increase his excitement. Yang smiled and placed himself before her once more, leading her attention away from another of his options.

The old priest was in the corner, reading the newspaper. His life force flickered and flared as he came across something that disturbed him, then smoothed out as he read something that was soothing. The dance was distracting, and the young god was not playing at his best because of the constant string of unconscious prayer streaming from the old man.

The volcano dragon wasn't much better. For once, he was doing something quiet, but the odd snicker that came from him on occasion alerted the river lord that something was amiss. The constant scratch of pencil on paper pierced the deep silence of the room, and the dewdrop of drool at the corner of Ryu's humanoid mouth somehow went right along with the lecherous smirk. At times, he would glance up at the American woman and sigh.

For her part, the American woman was ignoring her dragon protector. She was almost fully absorbed in some imported romance novel, erotica of some kind if he could judge by the way the male was holding the female on the cover. Every once in a great while though, she would look up at her personal kami and give him a pointed glare. Whatever he had done this time, he might as well go and build himself a dog house for all the luck he was going to have even sitting near her. Other times, she would look up at his Miko with an enigmatic smile.

Chihiro was absorbed in the game between herself and her own kami. Minutes would pass by as she ran every possible strategy through her head, as well as every counter strategy. Eventually, when she could no longer think of other possibilities, carefully she would place one of her polished dark river pebbles on a square. While he waited for her next move, he pondered the ripe pout of her lips, the sweet scent that wafted from her body, and the porcelain arch of her neck as it swept down to her modest breast. Such a rare and delicate flower, he would be happy to keep her untainted forever and enjoy her innocent smile and bodily perfume. No male would ever hope to win her love, because none were worthy of her.

Kohaku was jolted from his draconian dreams by the soft click of granite on marble, averting his gaze to its proper place on the Go board to see that she had blocked yet another of his lines. He thought that he had set up enough false leads on the board to disguise where his main goal had been slowly building, yet somehow she had seen it. Never had he thought that his little Chihiro could be so vicious at anything. The playful smirk and confrontational gleam in her eye contradicted the image of the pure innocent that he had built in his mind since the very first time he had held her tiny form in his arms and resisted the urge to stroke peach-fuzz hair.

"Your move Haku. Good try."

It was war then, and he decided to stop going so easy on the cheeky human who held him under a thrall unknown to herself. No longer would he allow himself to be distracted by her pink lips, or by how her eyes danced with merriment, nor by the musical laughter that wrapped itself around his head and stirred his blood. Certainly he was going to ignore the hormones that were reacting to the slow change in her scent, the primordial beckoning of fertile fields begging the coursing river to water herand bring growth.

Hurriedly, as if to wipe away the seemingly impure thought, he placed his own polished milky quartz pebble on the board, blocking her own dark sweep of victory. The smirk of overconfidence fell on the table as she heaved in a great breath, only worsening his problem as he watched her breast rise and fall. Two days now had her scent summoned him, and his Aramitama Haku purred in its lushness, content to wait for a little while and enjoy and get to know his charge again. Nushi, his Nigimitama was also content to let things lie between them for a while, making no move that was not called for. The two remained blended together in their agreement, watching the maiden's reaction to their move.

"You stinker. Ok, if you want to play that way."

Moves blurred into each other as each bent low over the board, determined to best their opponent. BlowingWind put down her book at the increase in pace and heat of the game, smirking as both heads unconsciously drew closer together, unheeding of anything but the game. Ryu looked up from his sketch of BlowingWind, pulled out of his thoughts by the spike in the scents of the warring kami and miko. Koji, too, began to watch the Battle of Yin and Yang to find Balance, neither being able to secure a Victory, nor did they find Satisfaction.

As she scooted nearer to the table in her concentration, Chihiro's leg brushed Kohakunushi's, causing him to drop his stone in surprise, which landed on the board and ended his turn. The lone pebble sat mockingly out in the corner and far away from the mass of pebbles, which had begun to take on the look of a great dragon as the pair had fought for dominance and victory. Kohaku was having trouble controlling his thoughts, the mere brush of her leg having been enough to stir memories of dreams and night-time projective visits best left forgotten for a single young god.

Chihiro was unaffected and unaware of the effect a single touch from her could have on the young male she called friend and master. With a great cry she placed her final piece, jumping up in victory and raising her hands over her head. Of course, it had the effect of raising the mark of her womanhood proud for him to see, stretching her modest kimono tight. The line of five dark stones went unnoticed to him, as his eyes were glued to her ecstatic victory dance. Dance was one of her many gifts, and she gave herself over to it completely, the kami taking it as his consolation prize and trying to prevent his imagination from running wild. If it was this tough for him now, what would it be like when she re-enacted the events of the Winter Solstice in honor of the spirits in only a few short months?

Ryu coughed into his hand, attempting to hide the full out grin lighting his face. He knew just what was going through the river dragon's mind. Even if his face and the tiny trickle of blood on his lip didn't betray his thoughts, the sharp change in his scent as it answered his miko's would.

"Chihiro won! Chihiro! You beat a spirit."

Ryu fell over laughing at BlowingWind's amazed observation, hoping all the while that said Shaman wouldn't catch his thought. The new drop of blood only confirmed that Kohaku had, and his hurried exit brought tears of mirth to the volcano dragon's eyes.

"Congratulations, Chihiro. I'll . . . just go and collect that prize for you."

After a moment, Ryu stopped laughing, and excused himself to go and help Kohakunushi. A quick look around revealed the spirit to be chafing at the edge of his still dry river. Apparently, he had forgotten that the spring had not been opened yet, and his plan had been to swim off his problem in the freezing waters before giving in and getting some chocolate for his miko. As the volcano dragon drew abreast of the river dragon, Ryu could see Kohakunushi holding his nose and waiting for the nosebleed to subside.

"Problem Haku?"

"It is wrong!"

The vehemence behind the statement could have almost been a palpable force. Self-loathing stood etched into every angry line of his face and twined around every wildly tossing hair that stood on end on the still night. Ryu was confused, surely what had happened in there shouldn't evoke such a strong reaction.

"What's wrong?"

"My attraction to her! I held her when she was but a baby. I am ancient compared to her. I delivered her great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother's children. I watched her ancestors first come to my river. I have never felt like this about any female, no matter what race, and for a while, she was like my own child."

The river kami sat on the ground, scowling at the earth between his feet. His great robes spread around him, pools of frozen water waiting for the thaw to rejoin their river as the stars blazed away.

"Times change, don't they? There was a time when none of that would have mattered. Now, in this world where humans seem to control everything, we spirits find ourselves pulled into their prejudices. Haku, what did you feel when you first saw Chihiro?"

"There was this connection between our souls, like nothing I had ever encountered."

"Then what is there to worry about? I've seen the way she looks at you when you aren't looking. She feels it too, and I know you can smell when she reacts to you, although she tries to hide it."

"But it is forbidden."

"Is it? Or do we spirits usually shy away because it is hard to watch them grow old and die? Sometimes we become so enmired in the situation that we forget what we desire is to wrap around the soul and coil within the heart. Show me where in the rule book it says you can't mate with a human. Discouraged heavily, yes. Expressly forbidden, no."

The sharp tang of boiling yang eased as his need faded away.

"How do you do it Ryu? I know you haven't finalized your claim on your female. But how do you control yourself?"

Ryu looked around conspiratorially, then pulled out a picture from the pocket of his jeans. It was a very well executed sketch of BlowingWind, holding two beautiful children. She and they were dressed in traditional Apache garb, and the features were so clear it was as if the artist had been looking right at the subjects when drawing.

"Does she know that you drew this?"

"No, and that's how I keep in control. If she knew I'd seriously thought what our kids would look like, who knows what she would do to me.

Besides, if my father found out that I'd allowed my heart to be stolen by a human who hadn't proved herself to him yet, then I'd be stuck back under that stuffy mountain again until she moved on. Now, since you got tricked into betting chocolate on your game, lets go get it before they catch us out here actually being ourselves."

* * *

Beneath Mt. Fuji, Tatsu and Fujiyama were discussing their sons over a game of Go. 

"I hear your boy has been helping with the excavation of my son, Fujiyama."

"Is that so? He had told me that he was courting an elusive female the last that we spoke."

"Elusive female? I did not know he liked to chase after challenges."

"Let's see . . . Her eyes are the daytime sky and sparkling sea, two jewels set in a sea of blonde pine. The very earth is her hair, though she keeps it short in mourning. Her temper is the gale of the fiercest storm, and her smile is the calm eye of the typhoon. When she stomps her foot in wrath, all run from her gaze as her words fall like fire to scorch the earth. The melody that she draws from the strings soothes the wildest soul. Or some such rubbish."

"Hmm. Sounds daunting, is he sure he can handle one like that? We all know how terrifying the onna are."

The two men paused their game as they tried to imagine what this ryu-onna must be like, neither realizing that the clever young dragon had in fact been describing a human woman.

"Blue eyes."

"Brown mane."

"Breathes fire."

"Her temper was described as a gale. A wind dragon."

"Huge."

"Yellowish scales."

The thought bubble that the two formed contained a creature even more terrifying than Red or Blue to the two males. They were awoken from their shared nightmare of femininity by one of Ryu's younger sisters, a little wisp of red and black barely two feet long.

"Are you going to finish the game? Or does mom need to bring more sake?"

The males shook off the tendrils of their terror, great respect in their hearts for one so young who would seek to tame such a terrifying creature. Little did Fujiyama know that it was worse than he imagined.

One very grouchy human female by the name of BlowingWind.

"We're fine little one. Arigato."

Tatsu watched the pup scurry out of the room and back to the mother, when a stray thought whapped him in the head.

"What if he was talking about a human?"

"Nonsense. He knows that it is very unlikely for such a weak race to give him many pups. Besides, most still pay no attention to matters of Spirit or the environment."

Tatsu took his turn, one fang hanging over a lip in doubt. Silence filled the room as the two continued their game. Fujiyama broke it after a while though, a question that had been bothering him for some time now spewing to the surface.

"Just where did you hide that day, Tatsu?"

"Down the stream from my son, in the very bottom of the channel amongst the reeds. I used some mud to hide my mane."

* * *

"What is taking those two so long?" 

Koji only shook his head at BlowingWind. She had begun pacing back and forth, making the old priest think of a caged wind dragon chafing for her mate to come release her from the trap.

* * *

Reviewer's Corner 

NitenGale - Nope. Lemons. Personally, I like a little raw lemon, but a whole lemon I thought made a good punishment.

Jaded image - Thanks.

TranquilMoon - Queso will probably find himself in a few tight predicaments. Just the nature of his character.

Jojo - Thank you.

Alaina - Much sorryness for the sucky compie.

Tippy-chan - Thanks.

Rakasha - what can I say, he's gotta get it somehow.


	12. Haku and Ryu vs the Evil Tv Imp

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Haku and Ryu Vs. the Evil TV Imp

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Rain doesn't own Haku, Chihiro, Lin, or Spirited Away.

* * *

The Shrine had two heating systems for in the winter. The electric style he did not care for at all, probably because his element did not mix well with that one. The back up system was wood heat though, and this one he understood well and had no problems with. Winter was still far off, but part of being self-sufficient was being prepared for the future. With that end in mind, both he and Ryu had been chopping the rounds of wood that had arrived into nice sections that would fit in the fireplace. 

As you can imagine, the girls watched as much as they could, out of sight, taking them water every now and then. Both males knew they were being ogled, shirtless in the heat of the summer sun as they worked. After all, they were fit young male specimens of their breed, and they were in the vicinity of two fertile young female specimens of the human breed, there would be something to worry about if they were not ogled. Neither of the guys knew where Lin was, and really, they didn't care. They were too busy with other things.

Koji had caught the girls spying after a while, and put a stop to that. So they had sullenly been cleaning the kitchen from then on, with toothbrushes. Consequently, the guys were done with their chores and clean long before the women were. Kohaku was rather amused, occupying himself with watching Chihiro scrubbing under the refrigerator. From where he sat in the living room, it was a very nice view. He was completely immersed, when he was rudely yanked out of his musings by Ryu, with an innocent and lazy question.

"Haku, the batteries just died in the remote. Would you go push the power button on the TV?"

He didn't really want to, he was comfortable, his aching muscles had finally relaxed, and he liked his present view.

"Why can't you do it yourself?"

"But you're closer."

"So?"

"If you don't, I'll just have to tell Chihiro that you've been staring at her butt for the past four minutes."

"I have not!"

"Chihiro!"

As Kohaku hurriedly got to his feet and started toward the object the other dragon had indicated, the object of his former studies called in.

"What?"

Smirking, his ruse having worked to save himself some effort, Ryu changed what he had been going to say.

"What did you girls want to watch tonight?"

"That's right, movie night. How about 'The Road to El Dorado?' We haven't seen that one in a while."

Casting a dirty look over his shoulder, Kohakunushi reached to push the power button, a soft warning hiss went unnoticed as the water kami promised retaliation against the volcano kami. As his finger connected with the electric appliance, the hiss got louder, and just barely had he begun to finally touch the plastic button when he was sent flying a few feet away to land on his keister. The poor spirit hadn't even exerted enough pressure to depress the button yet, and the TV had turned itself on.

When he sat up, he found himself facing down an electricity spirit that had been living inside the television. Of course, said sprite was not happy about a water being anywhere near him and his little home. Ryu stayed on the couch, watching in confusion. He had known about the little sprite that lived in there, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what his friend had done to anger the little guy so much. As it was, the full three inches of the little being was clearly visible to the males, shaking his fist and being utterly profane in both word and deed.

"What did you say about me?"

"I said you wouldn't know where to stick it if she waved about in your face, you limp water bottle."

"I know very well what to do, I just do not wish to."

"Ok, little guy, let's leave the water dragon alone before he fries your house."

"And as for you, earth dragon, you can't get any! Your woman finds you as heated as an icecicle!"

"Come out here and say that!"

By now, both of the guys were right up close to the tube, trading insults and comebacks freely with the sprite, which to human eyes looked no different from the rest of the blank screen. Both dragons were also gifted with views of the electricity spirit that they had never wished to see. The girls found them pressed to the screen and whispering to the appliance once they were done with the kitchen and cleaning out the toothbrushes.

"Now, I had always heard that guys loved electric appliances, but that's a little too much love."

"WAY too much love."

"Wind! Chi! The little tv sprite was insulting us!"

The girls traded one of those looks that clearly said they didn't buy it, then looked at Ryu. Wind took the initiative.

"I suppose you are going to say that it insulted you and showed you its bits again."

"It did!"

"He is an uncouth cad with no sense of decency or propriety that even a tavern regular would not fain to be seen in the company of. He is so ill-mannered that not even an oni would wish to have discourse with him, for fear of being contaminated by his very presence."

Haku wanted to say worse about the sick little creature that was currently busy pressing its face against the glass in disturbing ways, but there were ladies present. So uncouth cad was the worst he felt appropriate to use.

Chihiro shook her head and patted Kohakunushi's shoulder. She didn't see anything, but something certainly had to have worked him up if he had slipped into his old mode of speech. He must have not gotten enough water today after all and fried his brain, and Ryu along with him. Sunstroke could really screw with the brain, she knew that first hand.

"Right. Why don't you boys go sit down after your hard day of labor in thescorching sun and let us women fix the tv?"

The guys still wanted to preserve their manhood, but it was hard for them to resist. They were still a little tired, and sitting down sounded good, especially when the girls were using that sweet tone that promised pampering. Pity was a valuable commodity after making certain that the wood would be split and cured for the cold winter, and they certainly thought they deserved perhaps a small amount of it. Doing the only thing they could in the circumstances, they went back to their spots. Those poor suckers.

"No wonder they couldn't get it to work, it's not even plugged in. Nothing is plugged in!"

While BlowingWind plugged everything in, the little sprite clearly motioned as to just how much he liked her handling the wires. In the meantime, Chihiro was busy trying to get down the night's entertainment. Unfortunately, some genius had put it on the very top shelf, and as she was short it was causing her to stand as close as she could and stretch, leaning against the television a bit to support her weight as her fingers finally connected with the DVD case. While she was leaning against the screen, unaware of the little ill-tempered and perverted electricity sprite that lived in the television, said sprite was pointing to various locations and giving the birds and the bees talk to the livid lizards. Complete with sound effects.

"Got it!"

The lecture and demonstration, now being done with crudely drawn illustrations, was abruptly brought to an end when Chihiro began to play the disk, fast forwarding through the previews and finally getting to the movie itself. When she turned around to go sit down as well, her eyes fell on the stiffened and fuming form of her favorite kami.

"Are you ok? You look tense."

"I am fine. Thank you."

That was most certainly not a convincing performance. Having spent as much time with Wind as she had, Chihiro could tell when somebody was covering up being pissed. He wasn't really doing a good job anyway, his eyes said far too much. Then she got a great idea, hermom always made it work on dad when he had a bad day, so why not try it?

Grabbing a cushion from the couch, she settled herself behind Haku and began to massage his shoulders. They were like rocks, and she couldn't see how he could be comfortable with them as knotted up as they were.

"What are you doing!"

"Giving you a massage. You obviously need one."

After having watched the electricity spirit's little mime show, massage had not been his first thought. Sighing, and internally kicking himself for his dirty mind, he allowed his miko to work away his tension. Chihiro was enjoying the contact, and the two were enjoying the movie, up until the part where the monkeys stole the heroes' clothing, necessitating their emergence from the hot spring in pursuit of the thieves. The whole flow of the movie was interrupted for her by being pulled roughly into his lap and having a hand clamped over her eyes.

"Hey!"

Obviously, he was very displeased with his dear Chihiro seeing what was under the clothing of another man. She could hear him growling as he held her still. For some odd reason, she liked how it sounded, the rumbles tickled a little. Ryu rolled his eyes at the uptight male.

"She's seen worse in anatomy class. She knows what the front should look like too."

"What!"

When he was quite certain there was not going to be any more little 'parades' he took his hand away from her eyes so that he could glare into them. As was proper for a young lady, she was blushing.

"They teach us in high school, so we understand what happens."

Of course, he was horrified. Who knew what else they taught in school if a virgin already knew what that looked like. Why, for all he knew, they could have taught her positions too, and it should be the male's job to teach that. If anyone were to read his mind at this time, it would be very obvious that he was raised in an era where this was not discussed outside of the bedchamber. She was still virgin, right?

BlowingWind and Chihiro shuddered. Neither had enjoyed sex ed in their schools, and Anatomy had been even more disturbing when they had studied that section. Neither were particularly interested, it sounded dirty and slimy. BlowingWind made a sickened face as she lead off.

"That's right, Tab A inserts to Slot B."

"With insertion Tab A transmits Zygotes C resulting at times in organism D."

"And puts Slot B at risk of Parasitic Organisms E thru Z."

"Irritation also may occur, as well as discomfort and ripping."

"Which could necessitate a trip to the doctor depending on the extent."

"Yuck."

Well, if that was all, then it was decent, although he was still going to make sure that no one had polluted her without his noticing. He had forgotten that parents did not seem to take the proper time to raise their offspring, and so someone had to teach them. What did the girls mean by Parasitic Organisms though? Allowing himself to calm a little bit, he turned his attention back to the program, vigilant against any more indecencies. His possessive grip did not loosen though, and Chihiro felt a little stifled. Safe and cozy, but very definitely stifled, and why on earth was he smelling her? Dragons were very strange, and she felt sort of like some weird kind of stuffed animal that a little kid cuddles when they are insecure.

As the movie passed further into the story, he began to relax even more, lulled by the pure sweetness of her scent and gentle warmth of the body still firmly in his lap. The previous little episode had almost been forgotten, and Chihiro had also relaxed, melting back into her most trusted friend. Then they came to the next objectionable part. As Tulio was almost caught by the High Priest with Chel, getting ready to do what comes naturally, the dragon threw another hissy fit.

"How can this filth be considered fit fare for a night's entertainment?"

He had, once again, covered his pure and innocent miko's eyes. Honor demanded that he shield his precious maiden from such things. Also, he just plain didn't like the idea of her even thinking that way about other males.

"Haku!"

"Don't you give me that! Such filth clouds the mind! It's way past your rightful bedtime anyway. Into bed with you."

Lin, having snuck in sometime while he was busy obsessing over shielding his innocent Chihiro the first time, could not keep from breaking out in laughter. Horror crossed the young man's face as he realized what he had just said, and Chihiro had managed to twist around to glare at him for covering her eyes. The problem was that his wording and subject shift had been constructed in a manner that could lead a person to believe one of two things, and Chihiro was floored on how she should interpret his order.

She settled on the cleaner of the pair, it would be bad to assume the other. After all, he was Haku! He wouldn't think like that. She had conveniently forgotten about the vanished bras and the repayment that had appeared not too many months ago, signed no less!

"Haku, I am an adult! You may be my lord and master as the kami that I am bound to serve, but you will not order me about like a child and keep me from watching an animation that even children are allowed to see!"

By this time she had twisted completely around, totally forgetting about being lady like and pretty much straddling him as she yelled in his face. After all, how dare he? Who was he to think that he could just pop back up and expect her to obey him over a little thing like a make out session depicted in an animated story?

Haku was having naughty thoughts. When she was angry, those eyes absolutely blazed, and being a predatorial male, he was having to fight his instinct to dominate her. The position she was in practically screamed her challenge, as if she hadn't been already voicing it at the top of her lungs. At the same time she was absolutely terrifying, as several vital points of attack were very exposed to her. He had to recover the situation before he lost control . . . possibly in more ways than one. She had already proven her power over him in that last game of Go, and he had nearly lost the most important battle then as well.

At least she hadn't taken it the way Lin had. Wait a minute, where was the rest of the peanut gallery?

SNAP! FLASH! WHIRR! SNAP! FLASH! WHIRR!

"Fluffy Moment Hall of Shame!"

The compromising position the two had been arguing in was now preserved for all time. Mere inches had separated the intense faces, each breathing in the other's heady breath. The miko had been reacting to the fiercely thrashing energies of the spirit, and he in turn had been intoxicated by the anger lacing her scent like the cordial in a chocolate covered cherry. Twin expressions of horror washed their visages, even though they had been frozen in shock as they remembered that there were spectators.

At this moment, Koji returned, several pizzas in tow for dinner. The line at the pizza parlor had been huge, and then Queso wouldn't give him his blasted order until he agreed to say hello to Chihiro for him. He saw the couple, and at first thought nothing of it, his eyes did play tricks at times and most especially when he was tired. A second glance though revealed that he wasn't seeing things, seeing that the weasel, volcano dragon, and the Shaman were rolling on the floor and laughing at the unfortunate pair.

"Get your scaly paws off of my granddaughter!"

Finally snapped from their stupor, the pair actually began to move. Chihiro got up and walked woodenly to her room, calling out that she was suddenly very tired and that she wished all a good night. Kohakunushi also got up, declaring that he was going to take a peaceful walk.

Sometime during his last outburst, he had overloaded it and caused the player to shut off, giving the nasty little imp free play once more. No one but the two dragons heard it as it taunted the frustrated fertility being.

"And you still didn't!"

As he got to the door and heard his tormenter's words, he suddenly spun around to shout at the now blank screen before storming out.

"Shut up! It's all your fault! This is war!"

"And the other dragon didn't get any either!"

"Wait for me Haku! I'm in on that war!"

The magma dragon tore off after his friend, the pair to figure out some way to retaliate against the troublesome spirit. This left two humans and a weasel to figure out this mystery. BlowingWind looked at the inanimate object that the daft dragons had just scolded, and then to where they had once been.

"What just happened?"


	13. Getting Rid of the Evil TV Imp

Courting the River Maid Collection

Getting Rid of the Evil TV Imp

Spirited Away belongs to Hayao Miyazaki.

It didn't take long for Haku and Ryu to come up with a plan to have their revenge on a certain electricity imp. There was a fly in the ointment though . . .

* * *

The two disgusted dragons had stalked off into the night, to plan some kind of revenge on, of all things, the television set. The three befuddled humans left behind in the living room could only wonder if spirits were such sane beings after all. Surely two such powerful beings as had been spawned of water and fiery mountain would not be having schizophrenic arguments with a lifeless entertainment appliance. 

It wasn't really the appliance itself though, unknown to the Shamaness, Priestess, and old Priest. Oh no, it was far more pressing and insidious a problem. The type of spirit that had claimed the boob tube as a home could pass easily under the radars of spiritual persons when other sources of the power were nearby. In short, the electricity sprite had successfully made a nice pair of DD-cups out of Ryu and Haku. Mostly Haku . . . but who was keeping score?

Ok, so Electro the Imp was. He was only doing it though because his brother Zappy who lived in Chihiro's computer had dared him to piss off the water dragon. Electro was now the proud owner of a stolen bag of roast newts, freshly filched today from the secret stash behind Ryu's stereo in the room he shared with the foreign girl. Who had been the daring culprit that had summarily lost a bet to Zappy which was best left in the Realms of Speculation you may ask? That would be none other than Electro's girlfriend Sparks.

Sparks had threatened Zappy if he ever made her do something so low-brow again that she would reveal the true source of electricity to humanity. The truly scary thing was that she was crazy enough to do it. We don't even want to know what he had made her do, but it probably had something to do with having the guts to make some sparkies judging by how perverted he was to the dragons.

Now, while the dragons are still stewing and venting epithets that would make even the most worldly of high school students cover their ears in horror and sailors pull out their fingernails in attempt to drown out the sinister syllables with their own cries of agony, there is something very important to learn about electricity imps. The electricity sprite is an interesting spirit for one very unique reason. It is completely man-made. When mankind first began to create the thing called electricity, a feeble copy of the wild lightning, the very first non-natural being was created. With use, it increased itself, and now every electrical appliance has at least one of the buggers living in it.

One might think that such a thing would be grateful that humans had created them. That would be wrong. Electricity imps are very jealous of lightning kami with their uncontrollable power. Viewing themselves as created imperfectly, they are rather ambivalent at best toward their 'masters.' Thus, we have the frequent electrical shorts and computer crashes that now plague the world of modern man. This is now compounded with the fact that it is nearly an irresistible treat to bait dragons.

Feeling quite proud of himself, Electro settled down onto one of the chips inside the television to munch on digitized roast newt.

Outside, at the bottom of a very dry riverbed convenient to the river shrine, two dragons had staked out their command center. In their humanoid guises, they looked extremely silly scratching out battle plans in the dust. With the fire in their eyes as they whispered conspiratorially with each other one could easily have been led to believe that World War Three had just been launched. Then again, it very well could have as there are few things that insult a dragon so much as a blow to his virility. With a sneeze, a sloppy kiss, or even just the intention at the right time of year, both males could easily impregnate their claimed females without the use of such easily abased and incredibly enticing things as physical coupling. That took all the fun out of the proposition of course, but it could be done.

"So! How do we deal with such a . . . there isn't a word vile enough for it."

"Like I am supposed to know? I spent five years confined from humanity before I laid eyes on BlowingWind, and technology has advanced greatly from what I was used to. Electricity imps were no where near as ill mannered back then."

"So you have no idea?"

"Water. That's about it."

"What do you want me to do? Flood the whole building to be sure the twerp is killed? I don't think that is very wise. We don't want to electrocute anyone, and water conducts electricity."

"What if we unplug his house while he's in it, sneak it out of the shrine, and deposit it in the junkyard? From what I have observed, they need conductors to travel. If we don't let the plug touch anything conducive . . . then he can't follow us back!"

"Brilliant Ryu!"

The pair were so desperate to get back at the blasted imp that they forgot one very important consideration. The TV would be missed by someone since it was a rather sizable item. Although they did not actually watch it all that much, it was a requirement for viewing the news . . . and Koji's beloved soap operas.

As the pair had decided what their game plan was, they strolled nonchalantly back into the shrine where the humans still present looked at the dragons waiting to see what other crazy antics they would get up to before continuing with what they had been doing. After all, they had scolded a television set. They could have blamed it on too much sake, except for the fact that neither spirit had been served any yet. Calmly, as if nothing at all of import had happened, the devious dragons resumed their seats and looked at the humans who were left.

Chihiro had already gone to bed, figuring it was better to just give in than get in a fight so soon with Haku as she realized she had been lucky when she had pushed him into the spring those few days ago. Lin had taken off once more, mostly likely to wander around the woods some more as she had once been a wood spirit. This had left Koji and BlowingWind sitting quietly in the living room.

"Why aren't you in bed dear?"

BlowingWind cracked open one eye from her beloved beanbag. Her blue eye was bleary with the urge to go to bed, but she seemed to be waiting for something tonight.

"Why aren't you?"

Normally, Ryu would have taken that as an invitation to press his luck with his little human. However, tonight he had something other than mating on his mind, as much as he would like to see if he could get that far with her. In his mind, revenge on the imp was taking priority, and she looked like it was the sleepiness talking anyway. He couldn't take advantage of her, he wanted her completely willing when that happened.

"I'll join you later?"

"Your loss."

With all the stiffness of a zombie, BlowingWind rose from where she had nearly been falling asleep waiting. For some odd reason, she had the peculiar urge to snuggle, but she had just been turned down. She was so tired it did not even register that Ryu would _never_ turn down an excuse to hold her, much less have been allowed to touch what she had been planning.

"And what about you, Koji?"

Haku had been a bit late in asking the question though. Koji was already asleep, and there was no way Kohakunushi was going to carry him. Since there were now no witnesses to their 'theft' it was time.

Ryu ran to the wall and yanked out the power plug with one hand while ripping out all the connecting wires from the back. Haku grabbed the TV to remove it from the entertainment center, and headed for the door with the awkward appliance. The heaviness of the item didn't phase him as he was far stronger than a mortal, but he did have to watch himself as he maneuvered his way out.

"Which way Ryu?"

A bit of magic to conceal their dragon forms from mortal eyes, not to mention taking said forms, and they were off with the magma dragon leading the way. Both would be quite glad to be rid of the little pervert who's home they had just purloined.

Inside the TV, the imp was fast asleep, the rocking motion having soothed him. From the phone line that connected to the living quarters of the shrine all of the other electricity imps waved good bye. None of the other imps really liked Electro and Sparks had been planning on breaking up with him anyway since he was so crude.

It was short work getting to the junkyard, and they had put it with all of the other working sets that had been thrown away. This particular junkyard did its best business selling used appliances, and neither dragon believed in wasting what could be recycled. Quite pleased with themselves, the pair of males horsed around on their flight back home. Airborne wrestling was a favorite sport among young males, but it always pissed off the local wind spirit as it messed with his carefully plotted airstreams.

Thus it was with a great crash that both were deposited harshly outside of Chihiro's window. The great noise of course woke the poor thing, and wanting to know the cause of such an awful noise she went to her window in her sleeping gi to see who she needed to yell at.

Imagine her surprise to see Ryu and Haku still tangled together trying to beat each other. Neither dragon realized their spell had worn off with their concentration now fully on not wanting to lose.

"Admit defeat Ryu!"

"Never."

At this point, Ryu started playing dirty, and a well placed foot connected with a certain set of scale that protected an important package from enemy claws. It didn't do any damage as Haku was blessed with very strong armor there, but it was quite the distraction.

"Hey! No fair!"

Here, Haku pulled a low blow as well and returned it in kind.

"You know, you guys are acting like a couple little kids. It's cute, but I would like some sleep please."

Both dragons froze instantaneously, looking at the sleepy human at her window. Haku was currently on top, or at least it looked that way to Chihiro. Both were clearly insulted.

"We are not cute!"

"Haku's right. We are male, this is what we do."

A huge yawn split Chihiro's face in two as she covered it with an amazingly delicate hand. Haku, of course, did not miss when her gi slipped open just the tiniest bit while he glowered at her for the slam to his manhood. It was the second in one night, and the person he most did not want to have doubt his maleness at that. Why, she should be impressed that he was the one on top of this formerly writhing mass of coils! Ryu was quite the wrestler after all.

"What's wrong with being cute? Cute can be a good thing. But if you must do . . . whatever that is . . . can you be more quiet about it?"

Having said what was on her mind, Chihiro closed her curtains once more. She did not close her window though as it was much too hot a night and she really needed the air. Without further ado, she fell back into bed and was asleep. Apparently, dragon wrestling was the one thing that she could not sleep through.

"All your fault."

Haku released his dragon shape and brushed out his robes, still stewing from having been called such a demeaning thing as cute. Bunnies and puppies were cute. He however was a ferocious full grown dragon that many spirits cowered before. How armies had been terrified of him long before she had even been born, and there she had to go and call him cute! Well, he would just have to prove her otherwise.

Ryu snorted as he also resumed human form and preened.

"How is it my fault that she thinks you are cute? If anything, I should blame you for her calling me cute. If BlowingWind heard, she could easily misconstrue that!"

Haku was already back in proper form and watching the other dragon attempt to make his hair cooperate. The key word was attempt.

"Your hair is never going to do anything other than stick in spikes."

"You know, you might be able to use the fact that she thinks you are cute."

Believing the electricity imp threat over, Ryu's mind had gone back in the nest. His was currently being warmed by a very attractive female, but poor Haku's nest was cold and empty. Ryu was of the impression that Haku should go share Chihiro's or entice her into his. While the two crept around to the entrance, the males continued to hiss at each other.

"I am not cute."

"I know that and you know that. However, with the females cute can also mean attractive."

Haku didn't like where that was going, as he had already learned how Ryu's mind worked. His mind worked along similar lines at times as well, although he tried to hide it. Ryu just didn't give a cat's whisker if others knew what he thought. Haku was about to reprimand the other dragon and give him a good cuff on the head as they entered through the living room once more when they were met by a very confused Koji who had awoken to watch his late night soap reruns.

"Have you seen where the TV went?"

It was then that the dragons realized the fatal flaw in their plan.

"What did the two of you do with the TV?"

"It was possessed. We fixed the problem."

Haku had said this in all seriousness. After all, it had been possessed and they had taken care of it in the safest way that they could think of. The priest just kept staring at the kami though. Akio had once spoken like that, leaving important details out. It had never ended well, and Koji had this chill creeping up his spine that something was wrong. Something was wrong . . . he couldn't see his soap reruns!

"That's right, the demon has left the building."

Ryu was exaggerating how bad the imp was, but not by much.

"That is wonderful, but where is the TV?"

"Gone. We'll go get an uninfested one tomorrow morning."

That's what the dragons did too. Early in the morning Ryu took Haku and they walked to the store. There was no way anyone would have been able to get them into one of those blasted gas powered vehicles for a long while. Luck was with them, and Ryu managed to find the exact make and model as the last one, unopened and still in the box no less. Armed with his trusty credit card, the magma dragon bought it outright and they nonchalantly carried it home, paying no attention to the stares that Haku was getting for his extremely outdated clothes.

BlowingWind wasn't too pleased with her boyfriend having a hand in getting rid of the last TV, but she did forgive him after he had told her the things that the imp in the last one had done. She didn't quite believe him, and Chihiro was positive that Kohaku needed a vacation, but they agreed if the TV was causing the dragons so much stress it was better to have recycled it than frying the circuitry trying to catch 'The Imp.'

Chihiro insisted on breaking the new TV in by watching 'Zorro' that night, and the motion was seconded by Wind. Which also meant that the men were outvoted. Haku didn't care what they watched as long as his Chihiro did not see any more impure deeds or body parts that were supposed to be hidden. Ryu had wanted 'Cliffhanger' and Koji had wanted a cheesy Chinese drama with the Japanese subtitles.


	14. Koji\'s Dilemma

Courting the River Maid Collection

Koji's Dilemma

Disclaimer goes here. Standing for both Spirited Away and Inuyasha, I do not own these.

Oh, the things that a priest must see done. Danger always seems to surround his grandchild. To keep her for himself is easiest, but sometimes the most difficult choice is the correct path.

* * *

Dusk painted the sky with pink and purple blushes, the sun having set already behind the western horizon. For him, this time was like the life-stage he was currently living in. He was old, like the day, yet not quite ready to slip into the dark night of death and mystery. His time would be coming soon though. After all, he was not only old, but his granddaughter was old enough to have a family of her own with the proper consent. 

So much had changed in the country of Japan, this mystical Land of the Rising Sun. Most no longer followed the old ways except for the major festivals. Even these were no longer attended in the spirit that they once had been. The kami often hid themselves, affronted at the display of a false faith where worshipers only acknowledged them when they wanted something, if at all. Most festival goers no longer went in the spirit of reverence that was due as repayment for the protection and blessing of the gods. As the population expanded, the wild kami lost their homes, giving even more cause for the enshrined ones to withdraw in protest for their peers.

This was not the most disturbing thing though. Today's manner of dress, even for the youth, was so indecent. Skirts showed far too much leg these days, clothing was too tight. It was a problem that he had discussed with the kami of the riveralready, when Chihiro was yet a little baby. Neither had wanted the child that they held precious to dress in such revealing ways.

Kohakunushi had been very loud and insistent that his 'Innocent Shrine Child' not wear such things, especially around males. He hadn't been protesting the thought of her possibly having children, he was protesting the morals of the males that would be around her.

Marriage wasn't much better either. The proper way was to stay together, but more often, divorces occurred. If things were still commonly done in the traditional manner, maybe there would be fewer. It used to be that matchmakers would chose couples thought most compatible, and then the pair would be given time to learn about each other, to discover if they could live as man and wife. It was the proper way.

Even he and Sumiko had gone through the process, their families believing they would be a wonderful match. It had been love, for him at least, at first sight. Sumiko had taken some convincing, and several dates. But eventually, the matchmaker's magic had done its work. He had been planning to choose a suitable bride for Akio, but then he had met some strumpet at the college he had attended, and gotten married.

The result, however much he despised the woman who birthed herat times, had been his lovely and innocent Chihiro, truly a child of wonder thanks to the blessings of the gods. Despite how hard Yuuko had worked to turn her daughter from the ancient ways, Chihiro had still answered the call, very unlike her father that had refused it. After all, she came from a long line of priests. To be miko, then someday a head priestess, was in her blood. Now, she was coming of age, and it would be time to consider her future.

After all, he was old now, and he couldn't count on his son to provide for her. If he could, then Chihiro would never have had to be saved as a child from the Greed spirit, nor would she have disappeared for three weeks in the summer of the yearthat she had turned 10. Words could not describe how relieved he had been when Chihiro began spending her summers with him the next year, and then attending the local college once she had graduated early from high school.

As he gazed out of the window of his office, he listened to the sounds of the young adults that he shared the Shrine and living quarters with. Judging by the yells, and the odd cry of "Why must you fight over such a silly device," from Kohakunushi, BlowingWind and Ryu were wrestling over radio rights. Ryu must have gotten tired of American Rock, and the other dragon seemed to distrust all electrical appliances except lights and kitchen utensils. While those two were no doubt rolling all over the living room floor, the soft strains of a flute floated through the air to him. That probably would have been Chihiro circumventing the whole problem by putting on a tape of her own, or even Kohaku deciding that they needed to hear real music.

Chihiro.

She was in quite a predicament now, wasn't she? That crafty kitsune, the very one who had hired his own son to fill the river, now was interfering in her life. At least he had helped Akio make up for the disservice he had done their kami, but this was still all Ni's fault. Since far before Koji's own birth, the kitsune had been in possession of what belonged to the river lord, and there was only one way to get the item back.

Kohakunushi had to take a bride.

The stolen object was the Celestial Peal that provided the young lord the means to ascend to Heaven in order to speak with his superiors there. There was rarely the need to use such powerful magic, but there was the odd time he needed to, like in the event of a world war or other such calamity of great magnitude. In the hands of a kami disposed towards good deeds, it was a safe object, and could bring extreme good fortune to not only the owner, but the surrounding country as well.

There were people who could misuse it though. To own the Pearl was to become as the great gods. In the hands of evil, disaster would befall the world, and if the being were powerful enough, perhaps global tyranny as well. An evil owner would taint the heavenly orb with malice, and wherever the bearer went, the land would be barren and the people stricken by plague. And that was just thebest case scenario.

Which brought him back to Chihiro once again. The poor child was the closest thing that the kami had to a bride. The stories underscored repeatedly how finicky he was when it came to women. He had never had relations with the previous women offered, nor did he come even close to taking any as brides for that matter. What was so different about his little baby that she would be the one Ni thought him most likely to take? He had even gone so far as to place the link to where the sacred object was hidden with her. Effectively now, whoever parted her secret veil, which was required to open the clasp of the necklace, would own the jewel.

Legend had also told how that the dragon had sworn that he would only lay with one woman, and that would be the one he took as his bride. He had told how each candidate would be tested by himself, yet never were the details of the test given. He had not even said what the qualities were that he was searching for. It was a mysterious matter, and the human wondered why any spirit even partially in charge of an area's fertility would make such a choice.

What would happen if he didn't relieve Chihiro of the burden placed around her neck? Would beings begin to hunt her the way they hunted after the Shikon no Tama before it had been lost? Would another rogue dog spirit or worse decide to claim her, stealing away not only the Celestial Pearl, but the lineage of the river kami's most loyal human worshipers? She had tapped no magic, how would she be able to defend herself in that case? If their lord protected her until her death, what would happen then, would the link to the Pearl go with her, to reincarnate later and elsewhere? Even worse, what would happen if she took a human husband, who would certainly not be able to protect her or himself if any evil kami should decide they wanted to take the Pearl?

Leaving that desolate wasteland of thought, Koji continued on. Chihiro paid no attention to the men that were trying to seek her favor, and she was the last of his line. Who would the Jinja fall to after she passed on if she had no children? She seemed quite content to stay a virgin for eternity, no doubt prodded on by the nuisance that was trying to get into her hakama who went by the name of Queso. She viewed most men with distrust unless they realized quickly that all she wanted were friends. She had even once said when younger that she had no use for romance, she was married to her calling. What use would she have for a frivolous thing that would take her away from service to her people?

Did she still feel that way? Ever since the Lord had returned, even in his formerly divided guise, she had developed the kind of bond to the kami that had once attracted him to Sumiko. The camaraderie between 'boy' and 'girl' had been instant, and it had been so sweet to see her letting someone through her defenses finally. It had been a shock though to find him giving her an indirect kiss in that hospital room, as it looked like whatever relationship they were building between themselves was moving far too fast for him. However, as he played the picture over in his head, it looked right.

She had even been making eyes at 'Haku' when she thought no one was looking. He would have been a fool to miss it. And the fact that he had caught her watching when Kohaku and Ryu were chopping that firewood made it very obvious that she found the river lord desirable. There had even been times where she could be found lost in thought, only to blush when Kohaku broke into her reverie to ask if something was wrong. That was not to forget the interesting position that he found them in the other night, whether it had turned out to be a fight over a cartoon or not.

Kohaku had shown some rather obvious signs as well. He still couldn't get over how badly Chihiro had skunked him at Go. At one time, Koji was the one getting beat to a pulp by the god and his skills, and the great lord had lost because of the distraction of a pretty face . . . and other things. On a surreptitious glance, he had seen where the dragon's eyes had been looking, and it was not at the board. There were so many innocent . . . and perhaps not so innocent . . . little incidences that betrayed him, like how he would hold the door open, the way he would unconsciously seek to touch her, and let's not forget the nosebleed when Chihiro ran past them in nothing but a towel while screaming about electronic peeping toms.

Koji wasn't quite certain what had happened, but after Kohaku's nosebleed had been taken care of, he had gone to search out Ryu. After twenty minutes of yelling in what he assumed had been the dragon language, a bloodied Ryu had gone to the bathroom to remove something. He was then beset by a rather enraged American who just so happened to have finished calming Chihiro down.

Koji was getting too old for unrequited anything. His grandchild was obviously smitten by her childhood friend, and in return the young lord was infatuated with her. Chihiro needed the enspelled necklace off, to no longer be the link to such a powerful item. The only way to do so, was to have someone break the seal. The only person that she liked even close to enough to allow that was Kohaku.

Even with those facts presented to her in a reasonable light, she might not agree. It wasa small chance to be sure, but with as many boys as she had beaten up for touching her . . . and let's not forget that baka Queso. Surely she would realize that the Lord would not take advantage of her though. As long as Koji had known the spirit, which also happened to have been only a little after Koji's own birth, the river god had shown himself to be honorable in all things.

There had also once been a prophecy that the dragon's own mother, Nyuuhakushoku, had given to his father, Tatsu. Drifting back over the years, to a moment when the old Tatsu had held a sleeping Chihiro in his lap and sang the prophecy for Koji to understand what had been happening, the old man remembered the second to the last stanza of the geas.

Woman now, the river revives,  
to the dragon, are pledged her lives.  
By her Pearl, he'll gain his Pearl,  
Priestess now, no longer girl.

It was settled then, Destiny had chosen her. He would draw up the papers now, then talk to the river lord after the others were asleep. As the head of the tiny Ogino clan, that once had been so numerous in the days of yore, it was his duty to see that his line was provided for. And he certainly did not feel that he could trust his son with this, especially with the boy's wife's tendency to eschew anything traditional and proper. If they left Chihiro to her own devices, they would never be grandparents and have someone to tend their graves.

It didn't mean he particularly liked the thought of anybody doing that to her though. In fact, he hated the thought of anybody being that intimate with his poor little baby. He could remember even now just how disturbed she had been when she found out how babies were born. He also remembered her saying that there was no way she would let anybody do that to her.

Hmm. Maybe he should plan on suggesting a long betrothal. Give the girl some time to warm up to the idea, as well as give him a little more time with the fantasy that the child was still but a little girl wading in shallows. Yes, that was a good plan. He didn't think that his kami would appreciate it too much if she chucked him out on his ear. If handled the wrong way, this could get both of them in some serious trouble.

What was he talking about? The way he had seen them act towards each other, she would probably accept him with no problems. He would probably have her pregnant in two weeks, tops. Once the dragon got up the nerve to . . . well . . . procreate.

It was the kami he had to worry about. The boy seemed to be beating himself up at times over something. Was he still trying to figure out how he viewed her? He had been more of a father figure when she was very young, taking time away from his duties often to be for her the parents that were too busy. Yuuko had often complained about how Chihiro would run off to play down by the river, only to tell stories of the man and his flute, or a dragon that would let her pet him. Perhaps with his recombining he was now having to take a good look at whether he considered her just one of his adopted children . . . or something else entirely.

The image of the calcified Miko Midoriko passed through his mind. In their middle years, he and a younger Higurashi-daitoku had made a pilgrimage to the secret cave, having uncovered some old scrolls at another Shrine that had given the location. What if something like that happened to his baby? After all, when she was only three, a Greed Dog Spirit had been pursuing her, hoping to get at the river lord. It coincided oddly with the loss of the river.

As much as he hated it, he had to let his little girl grow up, and there were a lot worse men that he could release her to. Kohakunushi was a kind lord, he would take care of her, just like always. If anyone could work their way into that position with her, it would surely be him.

"I'm getting too old for this. But, this is what my grandfather would have done, it has been forseen, and so it shall be."

It was only right that the Shrine Virgin be given to their kami. With that thought, he finished the papers that he had started on earlier in the day, before Tsukaimono had come to the Shrine to disrupt the pattern that was setting itself. Destiny must really want the human and kami together for some reason, even if interaction was being discouraged now for many different reasons.

Chihiro's near drowning in the river 16 years ago had literally almost thrown her in the river god's arms. Then there was the Greed spirit kidnaping her, knocking the priest himself out, causing the kami to fight the dog demon. That battle had resulted in the lord's near demise, and was assuredly most likely the cause of his split in the first place. She had no memory of that night, due to the head wounds that Tatsu had taken her to the hospital for. Sometime during all of that, she had become his Heart, a spirit's equivalent of a life source as well as an expression for someone that was the object of a spirit's passion..

Love the Kohaku must surely learn,  
The gift she gives he dare not spurn.  
Love and rivers take many forms,  
it is these truths, that strengthen horns.

Remembering the last stanza, the old priest grew uneasy. What was the gift that he dare not spurn? Why did Kohaku need to learn that love took many forms?

Laughter floated down the hall way, one high and light, the other deep and rich. It seemed to be getting closer, they must have been heading to Chihiro's office for something. Briefly, Koji wondered what joke they were sharing. A soft sliding sound came from where the door to her office was, only once, which indicated that the door had been left open.

"Perhaps you will be able to hear better where there is no bickering."

After a moment, a light melody slithered in the air, invoking images of dragons frolicking in the clouds, or meditative walks on a misty mountaintop. He knew the music, had heard it haunting the apartment buildings for years. It lasted far longer than he had expected it to, the contract had been written out and the air was still laden with the notes, casting a soothing spell that only quality music can produce.

After a bit, the daitoku went down the hall, pausing for a moment at the entrance to the miko's office, where she would both study when her classes resumed and where she would keep track of Shrine accounts. Leaning against the wall on a cushion in one corner, the kami caressed the flute at his lips, eyes mere jade slits that watched the woman in his lap contentedly. Chihiro, for her part, was curled into his chest like she was a small child again, covered by his sleeves and falling asleep. It had obviously been a trying day for her.

Unaware that he had been seen, as the lord had seemed totally oblivious while he lured the maiden into sleep, Koji was startled when the tones faded and a voice issued from the dragon in a pleased rumble.

"Koji, would you turn down her bed, onegai?"

"Yes Lord."

Hurrying off to do his task after bowing, Koji didn't catch the irritated look cast after him for the title. While the old human was readying the young woman's bed, Kohakunushi tucked away his flute once more and carefully stood with his living treasure. As she began to stir, the river spirit began a lullaby that he had used so long ago, sung in draconic tongue.

Sleep, my precious pearl.  
Nothing will harm you now.  
I seal your home against the monsters.  
Hear the dragon lullaby with your mind.  
Feel the embrace of my waves.

The woman-child stayed under the robes of sleep, even as the kami pulled blankets over her after finally placing her in her bed.

"You've grown so much without me, little one."

Lurking outside yet another door, Koji felt his heart break.

* * *

To read the whole prophecy, see 'Underwater Savior' chapter 15: Rage, Disease, and Prophecy. 

Rain's Replies

Monchi - I was pretty melancholic when I wrote RND chap 3 . . . at least while I was working on that part. Just imagining Haku packing away a full meal 'con mucho gusto' puts me in a much better mood though. As for hubby . . . it was great fun. Sadly though, there are no more inner arguments to lovingly mock. As for those two trouble makers . . . they were only 50, they probably deserved it. That's like catching a 10 year old sticking the fork in a light socket as dragons go.

NitenGale - Glad you liked, and that the trip didn't kill you. So much to do, so little time, ne?

Shiro Ryu - You got the 100th review if this tally is right! How I do this . . . carefully.


	15. Agreement

Courting the River Maid Collection

Agreement

With the Spiritual World still going by many old laws, especially in the marriage department, Koji's tendency to go by ancient tradition, and the fact that Chihiro lives in a very modern time, things are bound to get sticky down the road.

Do I look like I own Spirited Away? If so, somebody must have put a really good mask on me.

* * *

The stars shone in the sky, a tapestry for young lovers to meet under in awe. The moon had not yet risen, and so the land was dark, the forest shadowy and mysterious, hiding ancient secrets that still flitted through the untamed woodland, only rarely infiltrating the human inhabited areas. The wind was soft and cool, calling to him to come and forget his woes for the moment. 

The life of a kami is never easy, and it is only harder when you also happen to be the lord and master of a river. It gets worse when you are in love with a human. He wouldn't tell her unless he had to though.

Or at least that had been his plan until the blasted kitsune had to go and scratch it all to King Yama's court. Ni just had to wait to return his Celestial Pearl until he was good and ready. Unfortunately, that would only be when he had taken a female as a bride. The female in question just so happened to be the one that he sinfully wanted. Yes, he wanted her, and would gladly take her. The problem was that if he took the mating as far as he wanted to, he interfered with her destiny.

A human is supposed to be able to move on after death, to whatever position is assigned to it. When bound to a kami, that person will forever be either doomed or blessed to stay with the spirit. A dragon's world is no world for a human or a human spirit, it is far too dangerous. Constant clashes between clans or individual dragons as they battle for choice territory always resulted in their chaotic peace.

Boy, there was an oxymoron for you.

"Kohaku."

Turning his aristocratic face away from the office window, the young dragon focused again on the aged form of his priest. He could easily remember when Koji had been but a boy, only just barely born. He remembered even beyond that, and it made him feel truly ancient, despite his youth for his kind.

"What are we going to do? Only you will be able to break the seal on the jewel."

"What do you want me to do?"

"My Lord! Surely you aren't going to pass up this chance to regain your Pearl! You have been waiting centuries to regain it."

"The only way to remove the spell that locks the clasp that I happen to know of, is for me to break her seal. Are you offering me your grandchild?"

Silence filled the room, broken only by the soft whispering of the candle flame. They had left the electric lights off, as Kohakunushi was leery of some stray electricity imp listening to this delicate conversation. After an endless expanse of minutes the silken silence was shredded by the priest's utterance.

"Yes. I am."

Kohaku had believed that the days of offering virgins had been long gone, but he had developed a strong appetite for his little morsel. No matter how much he told himself that it was wrong, his body, and other, probably more sensible, parts of his brain told him to accept andto go for it, to end his long celibacy in search of the perfect soul to bond to. The loneliness was eating his own soul.

"And what of your line? You know the dangers of a human and kami laying together. Not just the actual act, but the birth is dangerous as well should any fruit ripen. And what if she would rather be with another human? There are many eligible young suitors amongst the ones that she turns away."

"She wants you, my Lord. She hasn't said so directly, and the way she is, I would not ever expect her to say that she was attracted to someone. However, she is more open with you than I have seen with any others, and I have not been blind to how she looks at you when she thinks no one is looking."

"And yet, there is still the chance that you are merely dreaming the dreams of any grandfather. I want to be sure of what she wants."

He couldn't bear the thought of her in the arms of another male, but he did have the injunctions from the Council to live by.

"What about this? I promise Chihiro to you. You wait for three years to fulfill the claim, to give her plenty of time to either accept or reject you. If she rejects you at any time during the three years, then the deal is cancelled. If she accepts you, you still must wait for the full term to be absolutely certain that she would not prefer a human husband."

Nushi thought about the proposal. Was there a catch to it that would lock his treasure into a relationship that she did not desire? He couldn't find any, three years was certainly enough time for her to decide if she wanted to be his, or if she would rather remain friends and find a mate among her own kind.

"I accept."

The old man whipped some parchment out from a folder on the low desk of his office, thoroughly surprising the kami. As he inspected them, it was revealed that it was a betrothal contract. Apparently, his human charge had thought about this situation long and hard.

"Sign here my Lord."

Well, it looked like all was in order, so there was little else to do. Placing his chop on the contract, and watching while the old man signed as well, the deal was sealed.

"As your Clan head, you will be telling Chihiro of the proposed alliance."

Koji nodded, he had every intention of telling her, when the time was right. It would not be for a few days though, he wanted to give the shy spirit time to back out if he panicked. Of course, he might not have to worry about him backing out. Spirits were notorious for demanding what they felt was theirs. According to the traditions of his kind, she was almost as good as his mate right now, and with human tendency to become fertile every month, he may need to remind the dragon several times of his promise if his senses got the better of him.

Kohakunushi left the office in favor of the night. His miko and the other attendants were already resting, and he did not feel like sitting in his room for too long this night. It was too difficult to listen to Chihiro mumble his name in her sleep. He wondered, for probably the millionth time, just what had happened to him.

Why him?

Then, it hit him, how was he supposed to get his Celestial Pearl back if she did not allow him to break her seal? He had gotten so caught up in worrying about if Chihiro wanted him, that he forgot what might happen if she rejected him.

Who knew what horrible things would swarm her just for the magic that she guarded.

'I will just have to give her no cause to reject me.'

* * *

Rain's Replies 

JoJo - I guess he does. Suicidal behavior must run in the family. After all, his ancestor repeatedly insisted on groping a woman with a boomerang bigger than she was . . . which she could throw a long distance. Yeah, very nasty surprise.

Sakurablossomskxk - Yup! He should be proud of himself that he survived. Guess that little pocket dragon was good luck, ne?

Alaina - Apple + brick applesauce. Rain loves applesauce. The moral of the story . . . I don't know, I'm eating behind my patented inflatable shieldman.

Neech - Yes, it was last month, but I wasn't satisfied with the story at the time.


	16. Early Morning Gift Valentine II

Courting the River Maid Collection

Early Morning Gift (Valentine Drabble II)

By: LadyRainStarDragon

What happened before sunrise on the first Valentine Day after Kohaku's departure. Prequel to Courting the River Maid - Valentine drabble 1.

* * *

The sun hadn't even began to grey the sky yet, she had awoken that early. Every day she missed him, every day he flowed so near as to be touchable. Yet, every day he was so far away, gone on matters pertaining to his River. 

The Kohakugawa, just the name alone gave her chills, made her knees weak as the grasses that buckled and bowed before the wind, and gave her a dreamy countenance that she was unaware of, yet galvanized the more vain of the men to seek her gaze.

Come to think of it, that was really strange since she never left the Shrine if there wasn't a good reason. Oh, well, idiots will be idiots. Every country has them. And the only thing that seemed to attract the perverts more than a schoolgirl was the 'village' Miko.

A nervous giggle spilled from her throat like the purifying water out of the ladle before the Central Shrine. Clutched to her chest with one arm was a small heart-shaped box, tiny because of her Kami's opinion of chocolate, and in the other hand, a plate of mochi and rice balls, the normal morning offering.

As she neared the side of the small and yet still mighty river, the pre-dawn light began to grey the horizon. There was a low rock at the water's edge, just within its reach should a wavelet flow just right, and it was here among the tall grasses that she usually placed her personal offerings. When the Shrine first opened (well, after he had left anyway) she had made her offerings in the Inner Shrine, the place where only the Shrine Attendants were allowed to go. Within a few days though, she had felt his displeasure at his guardian presence being confined merely to the room, and followed the strange promptings to place her own by the river, or if the weather did not permit it to be done safely, then on the mini-altar to him in her room.

The first object that she laid out was the Valentine gift. When Valentine's Day had come to Japan, her fellow countrymen and women embraced the notion wholeheartedly. The women gave chocolates to their significant other and male friends. In turn, they reciprocated the gifts one month later, on White Day. The whole thing was silly, but she always wanted to include him in every event in some manner.

'Come on. Valentine's Day. You're such a dweeb, girl.'

Shaking off the feeling of being stupid giving a spirit chocolate (she had considered Ryu a health freak, and in some ways, Kohakunushi could be just as bad) the Miko quickly placed her normal offering on top of the note that had been painstakingly written, wanting the wording to convey exactly what she wanted to say without sounding like some gushing fangirl. Standing back and admiring the presentation, she then clapped thrice and bowed.

"Good morning, Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama. I hope that all is well with you."

As her eyes were downcast, an extra surge of the fluid life passed by, washing up and taking away her humble gift, licking her toes affectionately as it passed. Feeling the wave of surprise that rose from the river, the Miko turned and fled, the pinks of the early morning disguising the blush painted delicately over her cheeks.

Unknown and unseen in the grasses, an innocent seeming grass snake lurked who had seen the whole exchange between River and Priestess. She had thoughts of her own.

'Valentine's Day already. This is going to be interesting. I wonder how many guys are going to try to weasel some candy out of her today. It's going to be one of those butt-chewing days.'

* * *

Deep within the waters of a river of a clansman, Kohakunushi had felt the presence of his Miko beside his waters. She did not call out to him immediately as she would usually do, and so he left her be, believing that she needed some time to herself, which happened at times. He was here in this river not his own, negotiating terms for starts of the fish and plants he once nourished, restocking his river before humans had a chance to set up their own unbalanced ecology within himself. Also, there were river beings who wished to come and live in his new waters, solving his kinsman's overpopulation problem. At last, he heard her, and in a twinkling he bestowed his blessing upon her, receiving in return what she brought to him. 

"Wow Cousin, I wish my humans thought to send me an extra token on Valentine's Day. Unfortunately, my Shrine Keepers are all male, so maybe not then."

"Valentine's Day?"

"Kohakunushi! Valentine's Day! Women give chocolate, then men give them chocolate a month later on White Day. Oh, wait, that's right, you ignored everything romantic until recently."

"Very funny."

His cousin's blue eyes sparkled in his mirth, since he realized Kohakunushi really did know what Valentine's Day was, he had just forgotten about it. It was such great fun to tease him, and it really had been far too long since the last time. It was even more fun when knowing that Kohaku had a Promised One who was Human. Ah, yes, let the torture begin.

"Perhaps you should give her some kind of acknowledgment, so she's not angsting for a whole month. Or you could go hide, like the past nine hundred plus years."

"I fully intend to give her an acknowledgment, Sakananushi!"

"Yeah, while you hide under a rock."

Kohaku's exasperated sigh had a hint of a growl in it as it escaped his draconic chest, with his tail tapping the ground like some giant metronome.

"Are you done yet?"

"For now. It's just so fun to push your buttons and see your normally calm facade crumble at the corner."

Green eyes rolled in the universal expression of 'Dear Kami, I'm actually related to this guy' as the two dragons bowed and parted ways for the time being. Kohakunushi was going to use this alone time to scan his river for the perfect flower to convey his acceptance.

* * *

Words:

Sakana - fish


	17. Courting the River Maid Valentine I

Courting the River Maid

By: LadyRainStarDragon

It is an honor to date a Shrine Maiden, to possibly be her chosen when her duties are finally placed aside. Why does she refuse their offers? (One-shot)

Valentine drabble.

The song can be found in 'Moonlight Serenade of a Busy Maid.'

* * *

Her Aniki's Shrine Maiden was down by his river, humming some nameless tune to herself as she filled a pail with water for the garden's trees. Long nut-brown hair was whirled into an intricate coif upon her head, held in check by combs and a single white rose. Any spirit could see plainly the claim that lay upon her, stated not only by the rose that stood guard over her chastity, not only by the fact she served as a Miko, but also by the fact that the river kami had wrapped silver strands of his energy about her. These strands were the cage that held her heart safe from those who would force themselves upon it. 

Humans, however, did not often have the senses to see that she was not available. Ever since this human's form had begun to blossom and her male peers noticed her, it was trouble. It wasn't that she was particularly lovely, although she was beautiful to look upon. There was nothing special about her looks to cause them to chase after her. She simply was stubborn, refusing to spread herself about like others, causing her to become sought after by those who wanted 'to break her shell' and prove their manliness.

Many had given up, seeing that she was quite happy with herself and how she was. Some had even become her friends, and begun warning the other young men to leave her alone. There were the few idiots though, that thought it was great fun to try again every year.

So intent on her thoughts was she, that Chihiro hadn't even noticed when the threat had snuck up behind her. Her thoughts, this being the day that it was, had been on similar matters. Chihiro had been wondering what her kami was doing this day, and if spirits even observed the holiday. The nameless tune she had been humming had long ago turned into an ancient love song, describing how long ago a human maid had fallen in love with a river spirit and been spirited to his underwater kingdom. This was one of her favorite songs, and the first one that she had learned to play on the biwa.

The stranger was a comely man as humans went, this was true. Lively deep brown eyes sparkled from a narrow and pointy European face, a shock of wild blonde hair prickling all about him. He was tall and muscular, and held himself how she'd overheard BlowingWind describe a 'snowboarder dude.' The clothes weren't much to remark on, those boring and untailored modern clothes that so many wore now, certainly nowhere as wondrous as the river lord's clothing. Behind his back, the man held his weapon of choice.

It was a bouquet of 12 red roses, overflowing with ferns and baby's breath, vulgar and overdone. Flower arranging was Maiden Snake's specialty, and this bunch of sacrificed shrubbery had no sacred overtones, no meditative pause, no class. While this arrangement would have suited a more complicated maiden, it was not for a simple woman. This would not hold a candle to what her lord would gift the maiden with later.

"Hello Miss Ogino, would you do me the honor of dining with me this night?"

The flashy teeth could be imagined from where she hid and watched, cheesy grin and all as the foreign male whipped the flowers around, making his move.

'Not on my watch.'

Chihiro's face was terrified, hearing the unfamiliar voice and then turning around to see an unfamiliar male whipping something out. Chihiro thought it was a weapon, not noticing how bushy the object was, and ducked while screaming. In the meantime, her bucket had been sent flying toward him, her attack an unconscious one, but still effective.

He thought she had merely dropped it in her surprise.

'Thick foreigner. She hits him with a bucket and he sticks around for more. That's right, bend over just a little bit more. I dare you.'

"You dropped your bucket. I didn't mean to startle you."

'Blazes! Too slow!'

Maiden Snake slithered closer to get in a better range. Chihiro, mean while, was pissed. It was Valentine's Day, and it seemed like every male in the area was competing with each other, trying to get 'Miss Hard To Get' to go out with them for bragging rights.

It was only actually a quarter of the single male population in the area, but since she hadn't heard from who she really wanted to hear from, it seemed worse.

"Didn't mean to startle me! Then why did you sneak up on me while I'm doing my chores!"

"I'm sorry, your singing was just so lovely, I couldn't bear to miss any of it. Such a sad song though."

His baritone and 'shy' grin didn't have any affect as he came closer to her.

"It's not sad! It has deeper spiritual meanings that you could imagine. You shouldn't talk to a singlewoman until you've been properly introduced Queso-san, especially after insulting a song her Shrine holds in high regard."

"Forgive me."

Here, he made a grand sweeping bow, flourishing his arms like some English gentry.

"My name is -."

He didn't have time to finish. The roses landed at her feet, and with a mighty scream he jumped in the river, desperately trying to pull off the 'little green snake' who had attached herself firmly to his 'tail.' The poor man's screams of pain turned quickly to panic as it registered he was suffering from snake bite. The miko stood by watching, not offering any help.

"Serves you right. Shrine maidens aren't available. Even if I were, my heart's taken anyway."

Maiden Snake let go and swam to shore, quite happy with her work. There was a rock in the sun right next to her charge, perfect for sunning on and drying off. Here is where she curled up, in plain view and watching the man go into more terror. He hadn't really tasted all that bad for a foreign guy, although she much preferred a nice Japanese male.

"Snake!"

"Oh, I see you've met my friend. She's hung out with me for years. Don't make any sudden moves, or she'll go after you again."

Maiden Snake stretched up her head, begging for a chin rub, which she got.

Not being able to process any more, the man took off, forgetting the expensive roses.

"When will they learn I'm not interested. The only one I'minterested in is the one I shouldn't be, not like that."

Chihiro kneeled by the water and washed her face, the water calming her nerves.

"I hate Valentine's Day. Ryu always takes BlowingWind out for the whole day, leaving me alone with Ji-san and the chores. Not that I mind that. It's . . . just that I sometimes wish for what they have. I'm 20, single,I've never been on a date once, and only been kissed by one person. I miss him little friend."

Maiden Snake wound about her feet, keeping silent so as to not reveal she was really a spirit snake, although she longed to reply.

'He misses you too. I don't know why you don't think you won't have what they have though. Don't you know what you are to our lord, child?'

A single purple lily flower from upstream floated down the river, becoming entangled in the grasses at the water edge, bobbing and dancing to gain her attention. A note sat untouched in the upturned cup of the leaf. The little snake went back into the water to bring it closer so that the Miko would see it.

Awed at the simple beauty of the river flower, which she much preferred to the gaudy roses, Chihiro wove the wild wonder into her hair. Lilies were her favorite flowers, reminding her of a dear friend who also had loved the river as a child. With one simple flower, she could remember her two most precious and important influences on who she was. Smiling at recognizing the paper used for the note, she read the elegant kanji.

Happy Valentine's Day, koi.


	18. White Day

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

White Day

By: LadyRainStarDragon

Since Chihiro gave Kohaku a gift on Valentine's Day, will he send her a remembrance on White Day? Or will he give in to old habits and just hide under a rock? Mr. Queso has a gift too, but will he escape the razor teeth of Maiden Snake?

Takes place the first White Day after the river returned.

* * *

White and green paced the length of the room, occasionally turning his whiskered head to flicker a skittish gaze over an intricately lacquered box. The finest cherry wood had been used in the making of this specially commissioned box, and the outside had been painted with a peaceful river scene. Children played along the banks, wound within separate coils of a spectral dragon, while two figures nestled below a giant cherry tree. Hugely expensive fresh cherries, interspersed with the _very_ occasional chocolate, filled the tiny container. 

He was afraid it was a bit over the top in the message conveyed by the picture. His cousin, on the other hand, was convinced that the human was going to miss it. Kohakunushi would be so glad when negotiations were finally completed, then he could get away from his annoying cousin.

And everyone had always wondered why he was such a loner. The reason was a coiled up mass of white and blue currently engaged in skewering him with blazing blue pokers that passed for eyes.

"Don't chicken out now!"

"I am not 'chickening out!' I am contemplating the best place to materialize it."

Sakananushi wasn't fooled. Kohakunushi had been 'contemplating' since three in the morning. Nessie from Scotland wasn't even as shy as this river dragon now petrified of one lone human female's reaction to a _jewelry box_ for crying out loud. He had even put the preliminary claim on her, and here he was still being **shy**!

"Perfectionist! Do you want a rock to hide under now, or do you want me to do it?"

"Kami! No, I don't want you to do it! You'd probably materialize it while she's washing, and include some love note. Not to mention making me look like a deranged stalker."

'Drat! He's on to me.' "Would I really do that?"

Green eyes glared into blue, a death-match staring contest ensued between the two relatives. Sakananushi just adored getting his complacent cousin to show emotion other than stiff formality.

Meanwhile, at the Kohakugawa Shrine, the two resident 'Priestesses' were in the courtyard joyously greeting the sun's first rays. An improvised Kagura was part of the offering, the American Shamaness strumming and plucking sweet chords as the Shinto Miko whirled and sang. Incenses rose to the sky, and Amaterasu smiled down on the lively pair, while the beat was faithfully counted out by a dragon's drum.

In the grasses, a green snake watched with shining eyes as a familiar form picked its way into the Shrine Grounds. Cradled in the man's arms, was an enormous heart shaped candy box and an ostentatious display of two dozen roses. So gaudy was the abomination in his arms, that for once it seemed to detract from the heroic sheen of his golden hair.

'Look, my breakfast is cooking itself.'

As for Mr. Queso, he was going to enjoy today. It was like another Valentine's Day, but today there would be no snake. His woman was in the courtyard, and not down by the water. On the down side, she was also accompanied by her best friend and the walking wall that went with them. He was just going to have to be extra charming.

Respectfully, he paused at the edge of the courtyard while the morning ritual was completed. He remembered the last time that he had interrupted with an early morning visit, and how cold the river water is on a winter morning. Senior watched the Miko perform the dance within her soul, and basked in the alto voice coaxing and encouraging the sun to rise. She was an ordinary looking woman really, but her appeal was in the difficulty of capture.

He had a predator's spirit, and there was nothing as thrilling to him as the hunt. The more difficult, the better. Once he captured her and then tired, he would move on and find tougher prey. If he had been more innocent and pure in intention, then maybe he would have seen the glow of her spirit, or the magic that twined itself around her, and just moved on.

The joyous notes from BlowingWind's guitar faded into the breeze, and the rhythm released the two Holy Women back into their own individual manifestations of Life and Love.

A fair distance away, below Sakanagawa, a pair of blue eyes smirked in triumph at his runt of a younger cousin. Betwixt the two river dragons, they had come up with the perfect place to send the gift to wait.

The little green snake silently slithered closer, mouth beginning to water with the anticipated crush of flesh beneath fang. Her elder brother might have to allow others to attempt to court her until the claim was finished, but that didn't mean that she had to. Besides, there was no better ride than streaming behind some panicking male like a green streamer on New Year's. Not even using Ten's great sleeve as a swing was as good, although it did come close. Just a bit closer, then she could hurry across the flagstone and eat breakfast.

"That was wonderful! The three of you are so talented, have you ever considered performing for a living?"

Ryu looked at BlowingWind, one bushy eyebrow asking permission to attack. The American woman only shook her head, preferring to wait and see how the man was going to embarrass himself this time. Chihiro blushed and looked at the ground, flattered even if she was suspicious of 'The Cheese' and his motives.

"No, you guys could really do well. Especially you, Miss Ogino."

Chihiro looked up in shock at the formality in his voice. He had always called her Chihiro, and now he seemed to . . . distance himself a bit. Wondering what game he was up to this time, she warily accepted his compliment as the others rolled their eyes.

"Thank you."

"Here, these are for you, an apology for my rudeness ever since we firstmet."

A formal bow, in highly practiced Japanese style, and he held his offering over his head. European methods had not worked, perhaps the longer and more stylized Asian method would cause a favorable eye turned his way. Plus, now she could not refuse in honor. He, he, he.

The Miko accepted them, skeptically eyeing the bowed head, missing the concealed grin and twinkle of humbly downcast eyes. The winds blew from behind the man, wafting his scent none to carefully to the disguised dragon standing guard over his friends. Queso's scent was heavily laden with deceit, spiced by lust, and only sweetened with a very slight trace of awe for the sacred dance he had witness the tail of. Earthen eyes narrowed, and a barely heard growl began to rumble deep within.

As Chihiro's hands brought the roses and chocolates to herself, Kohaku had a feeling as if someone were moving in on his territory. Shaking it off, he scoffed at himself. His jealousy was getting the better of him again, and really, he needed to start paying more attention to his affairs instead of worrying about his Miko. After all, she was safe on his Shrine Grounds, and many spirits were watching over her in his absence.

"Well, I guess I can forgive you. After all, you seem to slowly be adjusting to the culture."

Meeting her eyes, he beamed a sheepish and thankful smile at her. She almost would have melted, if it weren't for the fact that her heart was not her own, and the fact he had suddenly grabbed one of her hands, bringing it to his lips.

"I shall take that as a compliment, Beautiful Lady."

Several things happened simultaneously. With a drop and swift footsweep, the Miko brought the offending man low into the ground, using his peace offering as a weapon to bruise his face. Ryu had also launched himself to get in a few good licks before there wasn't anything left to beat up. BlowingWind wondered if she should call the hospital and let them know Queso-san had been inappropriate to Ogino-san again, or if they should just throw the bloody body in the river like last time he had tried something.

When Ryu had taken over for her, Chihiro ran to the river, intending to use the sand and water of her love to scrub away the filth that had polluted her. He never failed to purify her of her problems, and to take them far away to be broken down and turned to something better. Furious hands tied back flying sleeves, exposing pale arms to wind, water, and sun. Handfuls of sand scoured her arms until they glowed pink with her stirred blood.

Finally feeling clean, she rinsed her mouth, then began the process on her arms again. Thoughtfully she gazed into the river, fancying that she saw, for just a moment, the surprised face of the kami.

'Impossible. He's not fully here right now. There is more important business he has then my problems. Even if it is an annoyingly thick suitor who just won't ever understand that I'm not interested.'

Kohakunushi had been leaving the gift where she usually left his offerings, and had been surprised by her sudden and harried appearance. Something had enraged her, and as she tied her sleeves back, he was sure that she was going to rip them with her force. Whatever it was, had to have bordered on unspeakable as she scrubbed it away. He noticed that she had not brought anything, so it must have happened shortly after her daily gift to Amaterasu.

"That little sneak! I can't believe he did that!"

'Who did what?'

The Miko was too riled up to hear his thought though, engaging in waves of revulsion.

"Chi, I called the police and told them what he's been doing. They came and got him. Well, what was left between Ryu and that snake. That snake just seems to absolutely hate 'The Cheese.' He won't be back for a while."

"Good. Where does he get off thinking that he can do that! Have I ever given him even the slightest inkling that I'm available to anybody?"

"Well, there's a reason that Latin guys are hailed as stubborn."

"Blech."

"Hey, what's that?"

His gift sat innocently on the rock, having drawn attention to itself when it washed onto its perch. The wave had licked over the disturbed river maiden's toes during the conversation, but she was so focused on other things that she had not noticed his touch. He had tried to coax at least an image out, but things were still so fresh, all he could see were chocolate and flowers.

The frown on his maiden's face melted away, and he watched the smile that slowly blossomed in the winter's wake. Hands gentle as willow leaves and still irritatedly pink caressed one corner as she admired the detailed painting on the lid.

"It's gorgeous."

"Well, are you going to open it? It's White Day you know. Your turn."

"Today?"

BlowingWind gave Chihiro a dry look as she checked for a fever. Slow understanding spread along the woman's face, like a seeping spring just thawing after a long winter.

"Yup. Now open it, your river spirit has much better taste than 'The Cheese.' I'm dying of curiosity."

The snort behind Kohakunushi from where he stood absorbed in the happenings at his banks went unnoticed. The taut expectation was absolutely hilarious, and Sakananushi sent up silent thanks to whomever had arranged it so that the dragon would be stuck here on such a day. The funniest thing though was the fact that he also looked like he wasn't sure if he was flattered or insulted. Humans could bring such strange emotions to spirits. The blue eyed dragon kicked himself for not grabbing his mirror so that he could eavesdrop.

Breath stilled as Chihiro opened the box, wondering what could be held in such a carefully crafted receptacle. Familiar paper greeted her, and the penmanship of the kanji left no doubt as to the sender. Below, cherries waited patiently for her attention, a few chocolates hidden among their number. A little grin lit her face as she laughed at the letter.

"What's it say, Chi?"

"Chihiro, I hear that it is expected to give a gift on White Day to a special person. I also hear that it's supposed to be chocolate, but you have probably been smuggling much past Ryu. So, here is only a little bit, and some real food to help you stay healthy."

The women cracked up laughing, although Chihiro was also blushing. After a little bit, they regained their control.

"That's some sense of humor your boyfriend has Chi. How did he know we've been smuggling chocolate again though?"

A loud cry of "Ah-ha! Admitted!" nearly busted Sakananushi's ears, and left him to wonder just what his cousin had found out.

"Maybe because he knows us so well? Or maybe it was just a lucky guess thanks to the lecture that Ryu gave on junk food?"

"I'd forgotten about that. I wonder if all dragons are health food nuts."

The water stirred at their feet, the master wondering if he should soak them for that.

"At least we know they care. Thank you Kohaku."

The waters resumed their normal flow at Chihiro's words and the kiss she blew to the river. The girls left the riverside to have breakfast and then do chores. Chihiro was running to keep her friend out of her gift.

"MINE! Ryu's giving you your own White Day gift!"

Kohaku came back to his senses to the greeting of a furry smirk and twinkling blue eyes staring into his formerly glassy green orbs.

"By the increase in your heart rate, I take it that she gave you a thanks that you enjoyed. Now was that so blasted hard?"

* * *

White Day already. Geeze, time flies. At least the tribute isn't late. 


	19. Answering the River's Call

Courting the River Maid Collection

Answering the River's Call

By: LadyRainStarDragon

I do not own Spirited Away.

It is an honor to date a Shrine Maiden, to possibly be her chosen when her duties are finally placed aside. Why does she refuse their offers?

Early summer one-shot.

* * *

The night was hot, which had resulted in her leaving the window open. A breeze came in, fluttering the curtains like the flowing robes of some ancient noble, seeming to beckon her to rise from the bed. Believing it to be just a stray gust that had awoken her, and not the strange tugging of her soul, she lay back down hoping to sink back into the dream she knew she shouldn't allow herself to have. 

Another gust breezed in and ghosted across her face, leaving light touches like her Lord had done nearly a year before. This pulled her back out of the realm of half-sleep, and grudgingly the woman went to her window, feet softly tapping the pine floor on her journey in hushed whisperings of questions.

Her sleeping gi had loosened in her twists and turns, and it had always made her wonder why, when as a child they hadn't. Beneath the crescent moon, the pearl at her breast glowed gently, a firefly trapped at the bosom of a human woman.

All that she saw was the play of moonlight on river.

Shaking her head at her foolishness, she turned to go back to bed, but was stopped by the tug of her heart, painful and empty, longing to be filled to the brim. The ghost of a flute's song winged in the breezes, a fluttering sparrow calling her to the river.

Retying her clothing modestly, she padded quietly through the Shrine home, slipping on her zori at the door to pass through the exterior shadows, the pale gi giving her the look of a maiden apparition.

Following the sounds as she had done at the spring those many months ago, she found herself at the river, farther down than she usually went to. Here, water raced shallowly yet powerfully over rocks already well rounded. The shooshing of the waters gave her a strange feeling, as if her Lord were trying to say something to her, but she could not understand it. It made her feel strange though, the electric feeling she had once scoffed at returning to her again.

Seeking understanding and feeling no fear from the one that she loved, she reached into the cold waters, feeling an ease in the sense of urgency that the river had finally communicated to her. The emptiness within her was chased away, and she felt complete again, as if he were right beside her, smiling gently for her as he usually did. A lazy and indulgent chuckle filled her mind, wordless assurances sweeping through her.

The spell of the waters released her, and sent her on her way. Not looking back, as the urgings within her heart commanded, she raced back to the Shrine, a streak of white a-haunting through the forest.

At last, she was in her bed, zori once more left by the entrance, and fell back into the arms of her dream lover.


	20. Bad Human!

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Bad Human!

Not every guy who hits on Chihiro is such a bad guy. Sometimes, it's somebody else who is bad.

* * *

The wind danced by, grabbing random homework assignments other college students were working on and strewing them into the trees. He knew better than to touch the ones that belonged to the miko and shaman though. He had seen some of the stuff they had done to the poor volcano dragon that hung out with them, and didn't particularly feel like being trapped in the knot on a string. He settled for messing up their hair and giving some passing men a nice view of their legs. 

For their part, they were ignoring the mischievous wind spirit. Instead they focused on eating the chocolate bars they had scored at the vending machines before Ryu got out of his class. They had learned to eat dessert before they could get caught, then cover it up by eating their lunches and hiding the wrappers in ziplock baggies they had for just the purpose. The more the disguised dragon policed their eating, the more often they rebelled, just to spite him.

From across the Quad a young man with violet eyes watched the pair of friends. The young woman wasn't in her usual miko robes today, but wore a blue kimono that looked for all the world like it was a running river the way that it shimmered in the sun. The obi was a pure and chaste white, like the breast of a dove. Her brown tresses waved in the breeze, reminiscent of river weeds in a gentle current, nursing a rose the color of moonlight in her hair. Nervously, he made his way toward her.

"Hello, I'm Kumiro. I couldn't help but notice your new kimono. It's lovely."

Chihiro smiled at the young man, noticing how similar his hair was to a certain spirit who held her heart. It was much shorter, but it had such a similar sheen that looking at his horsetail she could remember Kohaku working in the kitchen before he was healed. If she did not already have someone that she wanted, this man might have had a chance. He seemed to have a good heart, his eyes were kind, and his manners impeccable.

"Chihiro, and this is BlowingWind. Thank you, it was a present."

". . . From her boyfriend."

"'Wind! He is not my boyfriend."

"Right. Fine, maybe not officially then, but I've seen the way you moon over each other."

"We do not 'moon' over each other. Haku and I are just very good friends."

"Friends with benefits."

"'Wind!"

Sitting down beside her, the young man took her hands in his, looking deeply in her shining eyes. This one had a pure heart, and great love shone through her eyes. She had been very favored by whoever was her guardian deity, and the young man could almost see the shape of his energy wrapped around her.

"Beautiful Lady, will you bear me a child?"

She was at a loss. He was such a nice seeming man, but really, his question was so forward. Besides, she didn't want to bear his kids. If it were anybody, it would be Haku. She just couldn't imagine herself like that with anybody else. Retreating behind BlowingWind for moral support, she gave her answer.

"No. I'm not my own to give."

The young man was greatly saddened that she had refused, but he understood. His ancestor's curse was long removed from his family, but a miko did not belong to herself in matters such as this. The energy surrounding the woman stirred restlessly, a faint hissing detectable to his ears almost like a snake . . . or dragon. Looking carefully, he could almost see how it coiled around her, had the impression of scale and claw, but it was gone just as swiftly. She had been marked as a future consort?

"I see. Forgive me, I had hoped, but one never knows unless one asks."

The sincerity in his voice was unmistakable, and the girls found themselves smiling again despite themselves.

"Just don't ever ask me that question again. I would rather have friends."

"I understand. Then how about you, Lovely Lady?"

He had turned to BlowingWind this time, who had fallen off her seat with her laughter. She was definitely not ready to have kids, and hadn't even thought about kids since the last time that Ryu had brought the subject up.

"She's taken too."

The voice had seemed to come from no where, but the three young humans looked up for the source. A very displeased Ryu stood there, arms crossed and glaring down at the intruder in _his_ domain. For once, he wasn't wearing one of his trademark shirts, although he was all in black. Having just come from judo, he was still in his gi and presented a very imposing picture if you didn't live with him. Meeting eyes with the descendant of a monk, Ryu put his arms around his mate-to-be, staking his claim in front of the other man.

"The only one allowed lecherous thoughts about BlowingWind is me."

_Snap._

"No lecherous thoughts about me, period!"

Ryu was pulled over the maiden's shoulder, hooked to the rope, and then run up the flag pole they were sitting near.

"I've already told you. Those thoughts lead to kids, and I'm not ready to be a mom!"

"But you'd be a great mom!"

"Bring it up again! I promise the reaction will be worse that running you up a flag pole next time."

"You know, you really could use a bit of discipline, love."

"Discipline? Me? You're the one with lecherous thoughts and having to get all over a girl!"

Chihiro and her new friend watched the proceedings, not knowing what to think.

"Is this normal for them? Should we get out of here?"

"Yeah, let's let them work through their problem."

"Hit the cafeteria for milkshakes?"

"Sure."

The two walked away, talking about classes and leaving the dragon and human to resolve their differences.

"You need a spanking."

"Bring it on! You can't catch me if you're up there."

Ryu was stuck up there for a while. Wind went to the rest of her classes. Chihiro and Kumiro had milkshakes and tried to figure out her math homework. He also had great fun watching Chihiro turn down guys asking for dates. It is hard not to be amused when the same guy comes back three times with the same question and gets ignored each time . . . or wearing a mass of ketchup in formerly pristine platinum hair.

Poor Ryu eventually got down from the flag pole when some of his other friends took pity on him once BlowingWind left for the latrine and then class. He missed his lunch period he had scheduled, but at least he made his classes. While he was stranded in the air though, he had ample opportunity to come up with his revenge, and it had nothing to do with raw lemon this time.

* * *

Later that day, once they got home, Ryu and 'Wind thundered through the Shrine complex. She was still mad about earlier today, but she knew that if he caught her, she was going to pay. The odd part was that he could have caught her lots of times, but this was like he was teasing her. At last, she skidded around a corner, only to find herself wrapped in a strong pair of arms and then whizzing through the air. When the momentum stopped, she found herself stretched across his lap in a position that she remembered from childhood when she had really gone past her mom's limits. 

"Bad human. No more chocolate. Naughty girl."

_Smack_.

It wasn't hard, it didn't even sting really. It was the surprise that got her. She had never expected him to actually spank her. In shock, all she could do was lay there, gaping up at her boyfriend who was grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Now be a good girl and take your Midol."

Laughter came from the edge of the garden, where Chihiro had been doing her chores and tending the plants. She had changed into her work clothes, afraid to get her kimono dirty, and was laughing so hard that she lost her balance. Unable to stop laughing at the comical sight, she ended up rolling down the little hill and landing in the river. That still didn't stop the laughter from drifting up though, and BlowingWind blushed as she gingerly got out of Ryu's lap.

"Yes sir."

She didn't like the direction her thoughts were taking, and it was all that blasted dragon's fault.

For her part, Chihiro was still howling in the river.


	21. April Fools

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

April Fools

By: LadyRainStarDragon

I do not own Chihiro, Haku, Lin or Spirited Away.

* * *

Chihiro woke up really early this time. She wanted to be out of the area and safely hidden before BlowingWind and Ryu got into their annual prank war on each other . . . which always seemed to boil over onto her. Especially as BlowingWind had yet to get her revenge for the childish punishment she had received not all that long ago.

Chihiro wouldn't have ran him up the flag pole in the first place. Wind tended to act first and think later though.

Carefully opening her door, she kept an eye out for early traps. She almost tripped over the cat, who had taken the spot right in front of her door as its own personal bed. With her amazing powers of grace, she managed to turn it into a cartwheel instead, although she still landed squarely on her butt. It had to be an omen.

Deciding that it was now or never, she carefully pulled out the copy of the key for locking Ryu and Wind's room. Yesterday, while they had been out grocery shopping, she had disabled the mechanism that would allow them to unlock it from the inside. Revenge would be hers for catching her in the cross-fire last year.

She had today off as far as her duties were concerned, so she packed herself some tasty treats to nibble throughout the day, after recovering from the plastic snake in the fridge. Leaving it coiled where it lay, she wondered if BlowingWind was going to fall for it again this year.

On her way through the living room, she noticed that the TV was unplugged, and some industrious imps, namely Ryu and the cat, had gotten all the cushions and seats completely fuzzed over with black and red hairs. This wasn't going to go down well, not well at all once Wind was awake.

Realizing that she had better answer nature's call before she left, she stashed her supplies in her room and continued to the restroom. Somebody had been in here too, and soaped all of the mirrors, probably Wind to keep Ryu from 'primping' far longer than he needed to. Annoyed at the strong odor of bar soap, Chihiro decided to use a finger to write "BlowingWind wants to have Ryu's children" as far from her normal script as she could. She wasn't even going to look in the shower, who knows what lay in wait there. After she finished her original task, she got out of there before she found anything else.

After stopping back in her room, she was once more armed with chow provisions and a book to keep her occupied during the day, and beat a hasty retreat. Operation Hideaway was now in full effect. There was a cave-like overhang down the river about a mile, and that was where she was going to bunker, until it was safe to return to the Jinja.

The sun rose as she got to her goal, shining off of the river and making it seem like a golden ribbon winding along the forest floor. The rocky overhang had a mysterious and thoughtful air, brooding and possessive of its secrets, and yet welcoming to her at the same time. Bushes sprang up around the base, a natural and effective screen from the vision any who would try to peer inside. Taking the very narrow footpath that led to the cave, Chihiro noticed that there were other footprints, appearing like they had been laid within the last few days. Others had probably found this perfect hideaway, but there was no trash like at many of the other places she would go to. It was nice not to have to clean up someone else's mess.

As she settled herself inside, she noticed a very large hollow in the floor, circular like some big dog had scratched it out and molded it to a curled up form with many uses. Something about the spot pulled at her, and she found herself curling up inside of the hollow, gazing at where the river lapped at a gentle downslope where bushes parted to reveal a screened view of the river. Clawed footprints led both in and out, giving the appearance of a favored den. Too tired from waking up way before dawn to get out of the Shrine safely, Chihiro slipped into sleep, lulled by the rushing river.

* * *

Angrily, Haku wove his way through his river, whiskers whipping to and fro in his agitation. He was positively fuming as he headed for his old den. Fish stayed out of his sight, lest they be snapped up as comfort food, although a few unlucky ones were too slow and devoured although it did nothing to curb his temper.

Apparently, one of his cousins, most likely Sakananushi, had decided that today was some kind of idiotic holiday. Apparently, sometime during his tuning out of all non-essential components of the modern world some complete and total moron had decided they would bring into his country a celebration called "April Fool's Day." In observance, he had received a whole box full of racy lingerie and a letter daring him to present it to Chihiro in person. That's what he got for accepting any package from his cousin. Sometimes he swore the dragon was merely out to make his life miserable.

Like that was going to happen anytime soon anyway. Chihiro would probably try to braid his mane in retaliation and take pictures for blackmail if she didn't rip out his scales. Or something even worse could happen. She could wind up in his bed before the agreed upon date that he could finish his claim, therefor tainting his honor. No, he was a good boy, he would wait before putting himself in that position. After all, the letter and dare didn't specify when he had to do it by.

As if his cousin's prank wasn't enough to spoil his day, all of the workers engaged in repairing the mansion inside the Kohakugawa were refusing to work. Something about not trusting the others on this day. At this rate, he was not going to have it done in time for his excruciatingly slowly approaching nuptials, and it was being completely rebuilt with her in mind as one of his gifts to her. This new holiday was the pits, and due to the nature of some of the pranks one could expect, there was no way he was going to do anything alone there. It wasn't that he was above using a hammer and nails, he just was having an utterly lousy day, and expected an anvil to drop on his head at any moment. Even his breakfast had blown up in his face for crying out loud!

Reaching his favorite den, he prowled up the bank and through the bushes, huffing to himself about random inconveniences. Of course, when he spied a form that looked suspiciously like his intended in his bed, he didn't believe his eyes . . . or nose. Haku was certain that Lin had figured out his 'little gift' and was back to make him pay for her increased fertility by mocking him with what she knew he wanted. After all, Chihiro didn't even know about this place, and what would she be doing so far away from the Jinja, asleep, when she was usually busy with upkeep chores, training, or breakfast?

Stalking closer, he heard the pounding of a distant surf flowing through the streams of her veins. Lowering his nose to her neck, he whuffed a bit, testing her smell and flavor, and was a bit surprised that the flesh of the illusion was warm and soft, not cold and hard like Lin's usual ones. Gentle arms wrapped around his muzzle as his breath fanned her, and the totally random mumbles in her sleep confirmed that she was real.

"The snake is in the refrigerator, the alligator is in the sink."

With a sigh, he settled down, waiting for her to let go of his muzzle. Casting a silent spell, Haku allowed himself to become invisible. The last time that he had been alone with her in this form, things happened much differently than he intended. It would be very hard to wait if she saw him and her body started to react the way it had before. He was a good dragon, he could wait.

Maybe April Fool's Day wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

_Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Thunk._

The sound of hammering woke BlowingWind and Ryu up from their slumber. As usual, Ryu was propped against the headboard, his love's head pillowed in his lap, the most intimate that she agreed to get. It was still dark out, who would be hammering away before dawn?

Glancing at the clock, just for the sake of being able to grumble about the time, he noticed that it was 9 in the morning. So why was it so dark?

"S'dark! Go sleep!"

With that, BlowingWind rolled out of his lap, put a pillow over her head, and went back to sleep. Totally unaware of the time, she only wanted a little rest after waking up so early to plant her traps. Seeing that she was not about to get up anytime soon, Ryu decided that he would use this to his advantage . . . after a trip to the bathroom.

Walking to the door, still slightly blearing in his red silk pajamas, which his mother had actually sewn for him and emblazoned with his dragon form across the back and down one leg, he had only one pressing thought on his mind. He was thirsty, but it needed to wait.

His hand reached out for the doorknob, and successfully docked, but the turning of the handle was a failed mission. It steadfastly refused to budge, a problem that they had never had before.

"What is wrong with the door?"

"Turn the handle dear."

Her reply was muffled from under her pillow, but he could still understand it.

"It won't budge."

"Then unlock it."

He tried to follow her advice, but the latch just spun loosely in circles. By now, he was starting to panic. He needed out! It wasn't an emergency, but he did have a slight fear of being locked into rooms.

"The lock's busted!"

She was awake now, and very unhappy about it.

"So go through the window!"

Dashing over to the window, the dragon drew up the blind, only to encounter the glass backed with a sheet of plywood. There was still enough ventilation, but there was no way he was going to be able to get rid of it from the inside without breaking the window. Windows were expensive.

"I can't! It's boarded up!"

"That's nice dear."

Wind was asleep again. Just what had she been doing last night when he took that cat nap?

"Do you want out Ryu?"

The old voice at the bedroom door was full of laughter. It was obvious who had barricaded him in this tiny room that seemed to be shrinking by the minute. What had he done to deserve this?

"Yes!"

"Then clean up all your little pranks. I refuse to be caught in the cross-fire this year."

"Fine!"

"Not so fast! There's more . . . you've got Chihiro's cooking shifts too."

"Fine!"

Really, it was perfectly fine with Ryu. Chihiro wasn't a very good cook. She lost track of what she was doing and daydreamed about Kohaku, resulting in bland or over-seasoned food if they were lucky, burnt food if they weren't. Her cooking skills had really gone downhill with Haku's absence. The sound of an unlocking door pulled Ryu from his musings, and he darted out as soon as he could, making a bee-line for the bathroom.

Two seconds later, the sound of a scream came from the bathroom, and Koji happily went back outside to unboard the window.

Glaring at the familiar rubber snake, which had formerly been located in the fridge, the disturbed dragon removed the coiled form from the toilet seat. That was just fighting dirty. Speaking of dirty, the mirrors were all filthy! There was a very nice message that soothed his irritation at not being able to groom himself yet though. His hoot of victory carried for miles around, gracing the ears of a young woman who had finished her power nap and was getting ready to eat her breakfast of fruit.

"Dumb dragon."

Haku glared at her invisibly, snapped out of his daydreams and thinking that she was referring to him. A few minutes later, a scream of pain reached their ears, and Chihiro reiterated her statement to herself.

"Dumb dragon, I can't believe he fell for that. At least I'm away from the madness."

Nodding to herself, she pulled out the classic novel that she had brought along once she finished her apple. Haku, who had been blending in with the wall in his much smaller humanoid form for a couple hours now, still was finding it hard to believe that she was reading an old book in his bed.

"Why is it hot in here all of a sudden?"

There was a splash in the shallows of the river, which Chihiro assumed had been a fish since she couldn't see anything. In all actuality, it had been the retreat of one particular river spirit, mortified that his thought had affected the temperature in the cave and seeking one of his other lairs which was less . . . inhabited at the time. Besides, the swim would help him cool off.


	22. Bad Dragons!

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Bad Dragons!

I do not own Spirited Away.

Sure, you think they're nice dragons. Then they go and push an advantage. Takes place sometime in the stretch between the first meeting with Kumiro and when he gets the job at the Shrine.

* * *

Chihiro sat on the porch while she took her break. Spring vacation was not a vacation for her. Far from it in fact, she had the dubious pleasure of catching up on her chores. Looking morosely at the list, which was as long as her arm, she read over it briefly. The really bad part was that school started again tomorrow. 

Scrub Haku, wash floors, bathroom duty, consecrate 4 boxes fertility charms, 5 boxes protection charms, replenish omikuji, make the holy arrow shafts, bathe naked by moonlight in the river . . .

'Who put that there? No way, I'm wearing a swimsuit.'

Exorcism at apartments on the 5th, run inventory, kagura at midnight in short kimono . . .

'I'm going to maim Ryu.'

Take Cat to the vet.

'I thought it was 'Wind's turn.'

The miko stopped reading her list, since there was more than enough to keep her occupied for several days just in the little bit she had read. Koji handled most of the exorcisms, leaving her with the backup duty of blessing everything. Not like she really minded performing the blessing rituals, but there were times that . . . just felt really strange. Like the time that she tripped in the inner shrine in front of Haku's statue and landed on her face at his feet. When she got up, she could have sworn that he was looking right at her, and she had landed right in the middle of the fertility figurines she had been working on. The statue had looked about ready to pounce on her or something.

'I have an overactive imagination. I have never seen it move.'

Kohaku probably wasn't going to like it, but with all of this supporting stuff that only she was qualified to do, she needed help. When her ji-chan returned, she would put in a request for a helper. Until then, since she had already taken care of the first three things on her list, she needed to do more of the fertility charms.

What joy, her 'favorite' ones. It always made her feel really funny. Like somebody could see through her clothes or something. It was the coupling between the running gag they had been pulling on Ryu at dinner and that odd feeling when working with fertility energy that had caused her to learn how to construct an anti-fertility charm, just in case. Strange stories had been recorded about how dragons could make babies without even laying with a woman, or even meaning to make a kid at that. Since she was definitely single, and the shrine's virgin, a baby would be a really bad thing. Who ever heard of a virgin getting pregnant these days?

Ok, so there was that single virgin who had invitro fertilization, but that didn't count.

'Only 1 more box to go though, then I can start on the protection charms.'

Getting up, she dusted a little imaginary dirt from her miko's garb, then went inside to get the onigiri that pleased her kami so. The only reason she had been able to take the break was because she was waiting for BlowingWind to finish them.

"Are they ready?"

"Yup. Just finished. How are you doing on catching up?"

She made a face with her reply, indicating where she was on her list.

"Not so good. We've got that rush to stock up for, and I'm snowed under. To top it off, someone is putting perverted stuff on here."

"The short kimono dance is Ryu's writing. It looks like Ten did the other."

"That creep!"

"Maybe he's just trying to help you out. Would you get fewer chores if he saw you natural? What if your only duty became dancing for his 'pleasure,' huh?"

She didn't answer her friend, it was too hard. Why were her friends all pushing her to jump the poor guy? If anybody was going to jump anybody, he should do the jumping. What was the punishment for molestation of a kami? Besides, exactly when did either of them have the time for that kind of relationship? It was best to stay friends.

Carrying the carved wooden tray into the shrine and still blushing furiously, the miko noticed that at least Ryu had moved the box in for her to work on. He had even been nice and set them out for her. Everything was in order, which meant that either somebody was up to something, or she had been discovered by somebody where she had crashed from exhaustion after doing up the first two boxes of fertility charms last night. She had been so wiped out from channeling so many of his blessings, that after she was done, all she could do was curl up on the floor near him.

'I am never tackling two boxes at once again.'

Laying out the offering and saying a greeting to her kami, the miko brought light to the candles, then lit the joss sticks and set them in their holders. Soon enough, the ancient chants poured from her lips, and she felt her consciousness begin to pool, becoming still for the kami to reach through to touch each statue, mitigating the wildness of his being and softening it to something more tolerable by less developed individuals. She could feel him holding her, the pressure of an arm, the kiss of scale, the tickle of a long and lively whisker, a fanning hot breath, and the lap of water. As she gave herself over to the flow, she found herself hypnotized by the emeralds that glittered down upon her from their setting. A primal force tore through her, stealing her breath, sapping her will to remain separate, removing the last of a wall of fear. The shrine maiden found herself longing to be combined, to be joined, to learn the secret that was being whispered in her ear and yet torn away by the force of the current. She didn't know what she was truly wanting, yet she found herself feeling so, a tiny and insignificant being swept away in a roaring current.

'Haku.'

To anyone who had been inside the small building, it would have appeared as if the kneeling woman were enshrouded within a large drop of water. Her hair was worked loose from its usual binding, to float freely inside the body holding her, which set aside her hair ornaments.Each of the myriad statues had a blue glow imparted to them, pulsing in time with the rhythm of the water circling the woman. Carefully, the liquid seeped into her hair, her clothing, her very skin, healing her of any illness that she sustained while the water spirit also performed his other functions that he had been called for. After endless minutes within a time that was not time, the young woman's mouth opened and drank deeply of the waters and their kisses. When the water finally ebbed away, disappearing into the statues within the room and into the tiny bowl of river water that had been on the altar, the offering was gone and Chihiro lay asleep at her lord's feet.

An enigmatic smile graced the face of each vessel, including the living one that was finally nearly ready for him after years of careful cultivation since her wish at a still koi pond beneath the moon so long ago. She had drunk deeply of his waters this time, accepting not only his energies, but his very essence as well, as he had once had with hers. It would finally be safe for him to do what he had been waiting for. Only a few months more, and not only would she be ripe and willing, she would be elevated to a new status. Oh, how he was looking forward to that ceremony. Not long after that her studies would be done, and she would be his in a new way.

The young man stepped from the statue on the altar, chuckling as his dearest human instinctively shifted nearer to him. She had worn out far too easily, pushing herself too far too quickly. With great care, the transparent spiritual being laid over her slumbering body his latest gift to her. The blanket was thick and warm, the furry kind that she preferred. Printed with a seascape, the whites, blues and greens melded into each other in waves while a dragon and maiden played in the surf. This offering of his he had spied in the marketplace in one of the villages in his river. The kappa community was most eager that he should have it when they saw him admiring it, gifting it to him as a thank you token for his generosity in allowing them to find sanctuary. They had also given him more cucumbers than he knew what to do with. He had more than enough to feed everyone in both his Kohakugawa mansion and Fukaikohakugawa. A good store of those should be materializing in the kitchen shortly.

It then hit him what he had almost done.

'Crap! Bad dragon! Bad, bad, bad!'

Leaning down over her, he pressed a kiss to her forehead before drawing back again to admire chestnut waves fanning out from her head. The woman was a tiger at Go, but when she slept, who would guess that she was fierce in games, and stubborn in life. He could have easily gone farther than he ever had before, and Kohakunushi would freely admit that he had heard Haku's roars for his intended, his demands to plunge straight into her bubbling core to mingle himself in her pure waters. Nushi had been worried that it would be too much at once, cautioning himself against pouring into her before calming himself. The barrier of fear was gone, but there had been another one, an artificial one keeping his two halves from what they wanted.

The barrier itself had been a simple one, and he could have easily broken it had he focused on it. Instead, he had contented himself with passage to just below her skin, taken by surprise when she had drunk of him. Instinctively, she had pulled him in through the only semi-safe entrance to her that there was. Semi-safe, because he could still have gotten her pregnant, and this really made it hard to be who he was, knowing that one wrong move, and his hard work could literally go down the drain. This was her fertile time, and even though he was affected by it, and her body called to him, it felt like at the same time she lay fallow, her precious cavern resting.

At that moment, he was pulled out of his draconic waking dreams by a disbelieving shout from the living quarters.

"Kohaku! What do you expect me to do with all of these cucumbers?"

* * *

In the kitchen, the entire counter was filled with cucumbers. Ryu had just been walking in to get a drink of water, taking a break from the garden, and bringing in a few fresh vegetables for their dinner. His eyes were graced with his lovely shrieking banshee, er . . . girlfriend, and a store display worth of the tasty squash. 

"Wow! Looks like he raided the store houses of a kappa village."

"Looks like we'll be taking most of these down to the food bank."

"Knowing him, that's probably what he was hoping for."

"Why can't he just zap them directly to the food bank?"

"How would that look? I can see it in 'The Sun' now. Mysterious Appearing Vegetables: alien peace offering or a threat of war?"

"Yeah Ryu, but doesn't it look a little strange that this humble Shrine supplies most of the stuff in the food bank that is fresh?"

Ryu, assuming a pose common for a teacher imparting a great learning, looked his part in his Shrine garb.

"Our Shrine patron is a very pious and wealthy man. May the blessings of the kami Nigihayami Kohakunushi shower on the man Nigihayami Kohakunushi."

"This job is going to your head."

"Really, perhaps I could gain a little earthly grounding from you then, my lovely tennyo?"

He now had her backed up against the counter, his gaze locked with hers. The Shaman colored at his proximity, and the little thrill that she studiously stamped down repeatedly. She had almost given him the answer that he had been angling for, but if she had, then where would it leave her? She wasn't that weak to let herself be manipulated into giving him the green light. Searching for an aid, her hand found a rather large cucumber.

_Whap!_

"I found a use for them, Kohaku!"

The poor magma dragon was looking at the broken cucumber in his love's hand, not quite believing that she had actually done that. On the other hand, it was only in character for her to do, and if she hadn't, then what would be the fun? She was fun to tease.

"If you're good tonight, you can have a good night kiss. If you are bad, there are plenty more cucumbers."

"Since when am I ever bad?"

"You saucy thing, you! Bad dragon!"

Putting down the cucumber, which would become part of tonight's dinner now, BlowingWind tapped Ryu on the nose.

* * *

The next day, Chihiro drug through her classes, nothing really sinking in. It was so hard to focus, and she was so tired. Luckily, the students next to her would nudge her repeatedly, helping her to stay awake. When she finally got to lunch, she collapsed into their group's usual spot. Finally, a chance to nap. It would have been better with the new blanket, but grass was good too. Exhausted, sleep claimed her quickly. 

She was rudely awakened by the sensation of something caressing her backside. Sitting up in shock, she was further pulled into the realm of wakefulness by the unmistakable sound of something heavy colliding with someone's head. What greeted her vision was her study partner Kumiro, towering over the dreaded Cheese, trusty statistics book in hand. Queso had been knocked out by the unlikely combination of holy power and the evil Statistics 4 book.

"You really need to get more rest, Chihiro. If I hadn't gotten here when I had, he would have done more than grope your butt."

"Thanks. I guess I've been working too hard at the Shrine. But there is so much I have to do to help get ready for the summer, our busiest time. Ji-chan promised he would think about hiring some more help, though."

"What kind of help?"

"We need all kinds."

"I see. Well, if you think you will be fine until the others get back, I need to drag this guy to the head master and report him."

Happily, Kumiro grabbed Queso by his heels and did as he said . . . making sure to go up the stairs instead of the handicap access ramp.

'This week is all busy, but I'll make it a point to go apply next week.'

* * *

Rain's Replies 

Jojo - Thank you. Haku seems to have very selective attention. Either river or Chihiro . . . everything else, eh . . . Haku: I heard that! Rain: Good, then you'll also hear when I tell Chihiro that you really were there in the last story. Haku: No!

Monchi - Did this satisfy that?

Aharah - Thanks

Jaded image - He's always looking out for her, but he's really verging on obsession. Wait, I guess you may tend to do that if you've lived for as long as he has. And yes, you were the first one to guess who Kumiro was.

NitenGale - I'll have to brainstorm a part two for that one. And . . . maybe, maybe not.

Anonymouse - I doesn't do me any good to tell me that you didn't like a story from a point on. What didn't you like about it, or did I just leave humor too far behind in that one?

Slightly Haunted - Thank you.

Ebona Night - You mean . . . like that?


	23. Divine Providence

Courting the River Maid Collection

Divine Providence

By: LadyRainStarDragon

It is an honor to date a Shrine Maiden, to possibly be her chosen when her duties are finally placed aside. Why does she refuse their offers?

Pre Festival spot almost a year after the river's return. Chihiro gets bugged again, Kohaku gets a surprise compliments of one of the neighborhood pranksters.

* * *

The summer sky was high and blue, a giant ceramic bowl overturned to contain the fluffy clouds that reflected in the calm river before her. The grass, the rich green kimono that the earth wore for the season, tickled her bare feet et the end of the blue blanket she had stretched out on. The wind picked up for a moment, blowing across her and dancing light fingers over any exposed skin. 

It was quite a bit of exposed skin today, since it was summer, her day off, and a perfect day for swimming. She relished the feeling of the beads of water evaporating from her skin as she baked in the sun. The River Festival was in a few days, meaning that she'd better enjoy the river alone while she could, before all the tourists swamped and stifled her. The enjoyment was cut short though as her sun was blocked, leaving her cold.

"You look like you could use a bit of company. A pretty thing like you shouldn't be alone on a day like this."

'Drat! It's Senior Queso again. I stand him up every date that mom arranges, and he keeps coming back for more! How many times do I have to turn him down or hospitalize him before he leaves me alone?'

"Nope. I've got all the company I need!"

The man looked around, blonde hair gleaming like gold in the sun, not seeing anyone.

"Where?"

"The river, the trees, the grass, the rocks, the sky, the animals. The River sees to it that I'm never lonely, always provides for me."

Of course, it was a cryptic answer. How do you say to somebody that you're in love with a river without getting hauled off to the loony bin? And the river might not feel quite the same way.

"You spend too much time alone if you find friends in inanimate objects."

Chihiro really didn't like the way this was going, so she sat up and wrapped a blue yukata around herself, tying it closed with a white obi embroidered with a silver dragon.

"Everything has life, therefore everything is animate."

"This is what I mean. You are too much of a Miko, not enough of a woman. Can't you live a life not steeped in your Shinto mysticism? I wanted to ask you to the Matsuri."

'Yeah buddy, there's a real lack of mysticism for you. Asking me to the River Matsuri. Kohakunushi would probably not be amused with you.'

"No."

"Hey! Chihiro-miko! Fancy seeing you down by the river _again_! Maybe you should just move in with the Spirit, ne? Like in the old song?"

Chihiro laughed at his joke relieved that he had popped out of nowhere, obviously out for a walk, still checking for himself all the changes in the area, finding them fascinating, or hiding from the paperwork he hated so. Chihiro was pretty confident that she could really rip up her unwelcome visitor if she wanted to, but she still felt better with a friendly face around as chaperone.

"Hey Ten! Come sit down and help me eat my lunch!"

"Sure."

Ten plopped down on the blanket in between his friend and the Cheesy European, eyeing him with slight distaste. Sniffing secretly, he could tell what was on the human's mind, and felt affronted that somebody would think that way about _his_ friend's miko.

'I wonder if I should strike him impotent.'

"What's for lunch?"

"Grilled fish, rice and river salad."

"Yum. It sure is nice to have the river back, isn't it. All the fish, water chestnuts, and edible grasses you need, water to drink and nourish your garden, plentiful rice in the fields, cool swimming for a hot day . . ."

Mr Cheese looked bored while Ten watched Chihiro blush at mentioning how well she was being taken care of. The Shrine was never low on food, and the visitors brought the inhabitants quite a nice income.

"So, I hear that Kohaku's planning to come back to attend the festival with you."

That got his attention, and he didn't fail to notice the blush on her cheeks deepen. The European didn't like the way her eyes got all starry either.

"Really? Where did you hear that?"

"From him when we were discussing business. He said he was quite honored by the invitation and your wish to spend more time with him, and that he would meet you at your favorite spot."

"What call does this guy have to move in on my girl? According to your mother, Chihiro, you are dating me!"

Chihiro's eyes stopped sparkling as she was rudely pulled back to the present. She shook in her rage at someone presuming that she was their property, a thing to be passed from mother and father to another to control. She wanted to hurt the man badly, but this time she would not, she might not be able to stop at a punch to the gut. Thoughts about forcing him to wear the salad crossed her mind as a non-violent alternative, but that would just be a waste of perfectly good food.

"Ten?"

"Yes, little River Maid?"

Her eyes flicked to the intruder, and Ten broke out in a wide grin.

"It seems you've been harassing my friend. That means I get to defend her honor. She's spoken for, but most definitely not by you."

Ten gleefully chucked the man into the middle of the river, where a large white carp smacked him with her tail for disturbing her rest on the hot summer day. It was quite entertaining to see him scramble back out of the river, designer clothes dripping.

"So, what are you doing out of the spring?"

"Escaping paperwork. Why are you hiding?"

"Steeling myself for all the people."

Amiable silence passed between them as they shared the picnic, two friends enjoying hiding from the world for just a bit. The sun grew hotter, and Chihiro began to sweat.

"You should get back in the water if your hot. I'm sure Kohaku would cool you down."

Chihiro was about to agree when she noticed the smirk on his face that occurred whenever he was about to play a prank on someone.

"Why? What are you thinking pervert?"

"I'm not being perverted, I'm being practical. If you pass out from the heat, Kohaku would probably beat me up repeatedly for not making sure you take care of yourself. Get in the water, I'm sure you've got your swimsuit on under there."

"Oh no, I remember what you did to 'Wind for Ryu that time we were all swimming up at your spring. I'll stay right here, thank you."

"I was afraid you'd say that . . ."

Deftly he undid her obi and snagged her cotton yukata, running into the river before she could stop him, laughing all the way.

"Got to be faster, Chi!"

"Ten! Give those back!"

With that, she launched her bikini clad self into the river at him, knocking him down. Holding his head underwater, which had no effect since he's a water spirit even thoughit made her feel better, she ground a knuckle up underneath his rib cage while yelling at him. The bubbles from the water that sounded suspiciously like laughter did nothing to quell her rage. Giving up for a moment on bodily harm, she dropped a frog down the back of his kimono and grabbed the now soaked clothing while he was distracted. She then pushed him over backwards before searching for a nice stone to throw at him.

Meanwhile, in the Court of the Sea King, Kohaku had been filling his Liege Lord in on what had happened between the time of his last visit many years ago and now. They had been discussing it over tea, when suddenly the vision of a certain wet and semi-clad Miko attempting to beat up Ten swamped his senses, causing him to choke. Curious as to why young Kohakunushi suddenly looked so zoned out, as if his river was calling his attention to something it considered very important, the old King pulled out a mini view mirror from a fold in his August Robes to do a little spying as dragons are nosy creatures after all. What focused as it passed through the boy's mind was a maiden beating up the infamous Izumi Ten, first with her knuckle, then dropping a frog down his back to free her sopping clothing from his iron grip,a push underwater, and then the beating with a rock. All while screaming at the top of her lungs at him, most too loud and fast to even understand, such was her indignation. Ten, of course, hadn't stopped laughing at her.

"Picked an appealing and feisty one I see. No wonder you were so set on getting back to her. I would myself. Have you bedded her yet?"

The appalled and embarrassed look on Kohakunushi's face at the blatant question which old dragon men are prone to ask was well worth it. It had been long since he could tease his own sons about women, back when it was common to dally and amuse oneself with a lovely and willing human maiden.

Meanwhile, Chihiro had finally satisfied her honor, and was wearing her dripping clothing again, glaring at Ten across the food.

"Well, you're not hot anymore!"

"Idiot."

Ten pulled his most innocent face, hiding his laughter. It had been great, and he was sure that Kohaku had gotten himself quite an eyeful and surprise. It was so good to be a prankster. Ten had a feeling that the water was going to be very warm the next time she went for a night swim.

"Me? You're the one that was refusing to go cool off. I was just doing my duty to make sure you took care of yourself properly."

"No, I think you just felt like pissing me off because your bored."


	24. River Matsuri

Courting the River Maid Collection

River Matsuri

By: LadyRainStarDragon

If I owned the rights to Spirited Away, there would be a sequel. Obviously then, Miyazaki and company own the rights, and I am just a fan.

This is set the first river festival after the river returns. In other words, Kohaku has been gone a year, and returned for a two-day festival.

* * *

A vision in blue and white picked her way carefully through the undulating grasses that sought to latch on to her person, begging for the sunshine of her smile. Chestnut hair was wound up in a simple coif at the back of her neck, secured by silver combs and graced with an everlastingly white rose, while just a glimmer of purple magic peeked out where it held her mane in tight embrace. A passing wind managed to prize a few strands of her riches loose, left to swirl and wave in the streams of air that pressed her kimono tightly to her body, tantalizing him with her precious form.

He had waited for this day, when she would come to his banks to call him for his festival. The last one had been very mild, perhaps this time she would let him have a bit more. This maiden made him happy with her devotion, and so he showered the land and people with his blessings.

The simple wooden zori on her feet took him back to a simpler time, when he could come and go as he pleased. Even today he still could, but with all that his river needed done, he was still stuck with long stretches of time where he simply could not be physically with her in the way that he wished. After all, he had to rebuild his mansion in the above ground river, and the below ground river was beginning to bustle as well. Both places had to be readied for the eventual coming of his Lady.

Her hands toyed with a beam of silver that wound around her neck, the magic in the bauble and the clasp challenging and entreating him to take it, to ravish her, to show the gentle woman just what she meant to him. But now was not the time, as much as he would like to. No, their relationship was not stable enough for that step yet, nor were her studies finished.

"Nigihayami Kohakunushi, this Miko asks if you will attend the festival held in your honor this day."

The Shrine Maiden held her ground as the river boiled before her, reacting to the ancient words. Nothing that this river did could frighten her, as she knew it would never harm her. Likewise, nothing in the waters would dare to sting or bite her, as she was a favorite of the lord and his Chosen One. She could be swept away in a raging flood, and still she would place her trust in it, in him. After all, he had helped her many times.

She was rewarded for her faith by the apparition of the kami himself. Water made to seem as flesh, clothed in the very river itself, he appeared before her. Crashing waves of green and gold chased each other around the fearsome white of roaring rapids that hid lithe arms and chest from mortal view. Likewise, they danced around the placid deep blue of still and thoughtful waters that languidly stirred about lean legs. His eyes were the jade that hid in his bed, while the obi holding his formal robes shut was the amethyst that he sometimes pulled from eroding fields. Tied to his waist, reflected moonlight had solidified in the form of blade and scabbard, completing his regalia. Free flowing banners of midnight waters danced on the breeze to flare beneath the kiss of the wind.

Gentle eyes reflecting the dancing river weeds burned into eyes the color of storms as his sandaled feet walked across the water, softer than visiting raindrop kisses from his mother. The innocent and welcoming smile was the same that he had left, now beaming happiness in great and shining ivory set in her treasured mouth. He too found himself grinning, revealing his teeth so very like hers save for the sharp predatorial quality that brought no corresponding fear from her. He heard the thundering of her heart reach a frenzied pace, even though she seemed at perfect ease.

"This Nigihayami Kohakunushi will be glad to attend if the maiden but wishes and allows this one to escort her."

Formality was dropped like a stone in a pool as she flung herself into his waiting arms. It had been too long since he had held her like this, the slippery fish having her own matters to attend to in the world above.

"Who else would I trust? Certainly not Queso-san."

Kohakunushi winced at the thought of anyone having his treasure. A face swam before his mind's eye, the obnoxious shock of golden hair nearly blinding in the hot sun.

"Isn't that the human who tried to . . ."

"That's the one."

The river spirit began to fume as he imagined ways of making the meager human pay for the sin of touching her bent over form as a younger version of himself had helped the miko move a particularly large rock while they cleared the spring of what did not belong. He had ended up with the rock suddenly on his foot as Chihiro had dropped it in favor of throwing the man into a tree. Something much worse than busted pipes needed to be done, and he had forgotten all about that incident until just now. A poking in his ribs brought him back to reality.

"Are you alright Kohaku?"

"Never better."

Walking her back to the Shrine, he placed an arm about her waist, allowing his hand to gently caress her hip. She pretended not to notice it, but he could tell she had both by smell and the faint blush she was trying to suppress. She was still shy, but there was plenty of time to coax her flower open. Purring in contentment at her reaction, he nearly missed her words.

"The community children have been asking for another story about their kami."

"They liked that, did they?"

His intense eyes searched her own moist orbs, searching for any hidden meaning in that innocent statement. He drew closer, finding none, but unable to resist the sweetness that had embodied itself beside him.

A jolt of water yanked them out of their trance, and stomped on the moment for good measure. Koji stood triumphant with the Super Soaker that he had originally bought to use on Ryu those days that he found himself embroiled in a water fight while trying to tend the garden. It had other useful purposes, such as the one he had just deployed, Operation Male Deterrent.

"Was that really necessary, Koji? What kind of welcome was that?"

The water had only been taken into his own person this time, but still, it was the principle of the matter. Chihiro couldn't help but laugh at his exasperated face, as he had ben the main target.

"He's been doing that to every guy within three feet of me lately."

"Two more years, lord. You wanted my help on it, remember."

Unable to let his Priest best him, he retaliated by literally carrying his Miko into the Shrine, much to her befuddlement and Koji's sputtering. She allowed it though, figuring it was some guy thing, as she had seen Ryu do much the same at times with BlowingWind. That didn't stop her from blushing of course, and the blush stayed on her face as he insisted on holding on to her almost at all times as they enjoyed the festivities around the Shrine grounds and even once the night-time procession had begun.

During the day, Kohaku probably won her about 20 goldfish for the fish pond. He was very good at throwing ping pong balls into fish bowls filled with water. It was a good thing that the pond was rather large. Chihiro got showered with other purchases and prizes too. Things like fans, new kimonos, hair combs, and one toy dragon. The pair made many trips to drop off her new items. She kept protesting he was spoiling her, Kohaku merely replied with a straight face that it was putting money back into the community.

She couldn't argue with that, and really, what else were they going to do with their day? He solved that problem easily. He fed her healthful and traditional food, and they enjoyed the musicians.

Chihiro was glad when it was time to retreat and get ready for the exorcizing procession. She was full, had more stuff than she would ever need, a fully stocked fish pond . . . and thoughts that would require the use of a fire hose to get out of her head if they did much more. Besides, some of the idiots that she kept turning down, most notably Queso-san, had noticed that she was with a guy doing typical date-type stuff.

As the sun set to stain the horizon crimson, lanterns were lit. Trails that seemed like streams of fire-flies traipsed through the community, and the portable shrine the pair were confined to for the trip did not feel the cool of evening with the number of lamps bringing light to the darkness.

Koji rode at the front on a white stallion to clear the streets and let all know that the kami was coming. The ancestral robes had been brought out, and the fine silks shone in the sun like river water. The stallion was resplendent in the silver tack, streamers of azure and white mimicking rivers here and there upon it. The horse cantered proudly down the streets, filled with pride at having been chosen for this great honor. Snowmelt was blessed indeed this year.

Next, the portable shrine was carried by many strong young men on their shoulders, laughing and singing about the blessings the river brought to the people. The simple structure had a canopy to shade the two occupants from the sun they would be in most of the day tomorrow, tonight dripping with the silken lanterns of fortune. A dragon had been carved into the wood, coiling all about and smiling down benignly upon the festival goers, who crowded forward to touch the shrine, carriers, or occupants.

As far as they were concerned, the handsome young man symbolized the kami, manifesting his presence within the body volunteered to bless his people as was done in the old days. The miko on his lap freely distributed his blessings, symbolized by the candy and toys now showering on the children, leaving him time to tend to the river and the truly bad problems lurking in the shadows himself. Very few realized that, as in the true old days, this was truly their kami, as his disguise was very convincing to the human eye. The legends did tell of miko and priests channeling his power for small matters, but what did it mean that he refused to let this one go?

Behind the shrine crawling like some earthbound dragon through the community, BlowingWind and Ryu rode on white horses as well, who had been arrayed in like manner to Snowmelt. Rapid and Flood tossed their manes and snorted for the festival goers, pleased to convey these Attendants on their backs.

Their robes too were the blue and white that denoted their shrine, and each one carried one of the two treasures that had not ridden with the river dragon. BlowingWind carried the Sacred Mirror, protected within layers of silk, so that the citizens were to be reminded of their loyalty to the Sun Goddess and her descendant, their Emperor (even if he was just a figurehead at this point). Ryu carried with him the pearl that symbolized the Celestial Pearl that once had been stolen which linked the kami to the Heavens. The link to the real Pearl was currently jealously guarded by one very happy and possessive dragon, but the community didn't need to know that.

Behind these two walked the part-time attendants of the Shrine. Young children who were training as miko walked with teenagers also learning the same things, having opted to serve in the Shrine as part of their community services.

Disguised youkai and normal humans alike crowded their route as the group blessed and restored the community, driving out evil where it was found. Despite being seemingly at his ease upon his rocking perch, the kami was truly very busy. Imps of misfortune scurried unseen through the crowd, and as he directed where the largesse was to fall, he blessed the people, destroyed the imps, and protected them against future attacks. It was much harder only doing this once a year, but perhaps as time wended on he would be able to do so more often as the Shrine reintegrated into the People's lives.

A shock of golden hair and scowling brown eyes captured his attention. His rival was obviously very put out by his position with Chihiro. On the other hand, perhaps Queso would be a more worthy rival if he didn't treat the miko like some prize to be won. Narrowing his own emerald orbs, Kohakunushi saw the imps positively crawling all over the weak human. He was tempted to leave them there, but if he did, they would only recolonize, and as much as he wished it weren't so, the idiot was under his protection as long as he was here.

Smirking, a fortune cookie formed itself in his hand, unseen by the seemingly drunken revelers milling and reeling in great swathes of mingled color. This missile of divine intervention he lobbed at his target, letting loose a huff of satisfaction as he watched it impact with the foreign male's head. The imps tried to scatter, but they weren't fast enough for the wave of fortune and crumbled to dust as the cookie was opened to reveal the Oracle.

He didn't get to see the reaction to his little warning, carried onward, ever onward. Toward the end of their rounds, little children ran up to them, and he would allow the children to be placed with him, they delighting in helping the miko who told such wonderful stories to spread the blessings. A few looking at him knowingly, reaching out to grasp a phantom whisker or stepping over invisible coils that wound around his living treasures.

The community was too large to tour in one day in a street by street fashion, and so his party was housed for the humans' rest in a home specially selected on their route. The elderly couple knew who he was, being life-long devotees of his and once suitable attendants had the Shrine existed in their days of vitality. Not a word was said when he and his miko shared a futon, curled together like companionable cats as he listened to her sleep in invisible coils.

The next day was much the same, and they finished their thorough combing of the community for ills. Once more towards the end of the scheduled trek, children began to beg to ride with them, and again he allowed it, chuckling at one swathed in a gold kimono that insisted on sitting on the Miko's lap, even though it put him in a rather uncomfortable position beneath the two bodies. Still, he had always been unable to resist children, and it amused both the child and Miko.

When the portable shrine was finally placed next to the stage, he was faced with a slight dilemma. The child had fallen asleep on his Miko's lap, and her legs had gone to sleep as well, leaving her unable to rise. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he had to come up with a solution that would not bode an ill omen. Taking them both in his arms, he rose carefully to step onto the stage. Both he and Chihiro were blushing furiously with this arrangement, and random people in the crowd murmured how amazed they were at how well the young man was playing his part. Others wondered if the man had been chosen because he was secretly dating the woman. Uncommented upon, the rest of his Shrine's retinue filed up the stairs.

The mother of the little girl came to the edge of the stage, and Ryu carefully handed the little child back to the waiting arms. Surely, today was an omen of supreme fortune for her family. Once the precious burden had been taken from the Miko's arms, the river lord set his own burden upon her feet and steadied her as he commanded her blood to flow once more. His mouth was next to her ear, the sweetness of flowing water causing her to shiver as he whispered.

"Are you alright?"

"H-hai."

Spanish eyes regarded the pair jealously. His rival's hands grasped rounded hips hidden beneath the rich blue silk kimono that was reserved for special rituals. Color rose high on her cheeks from the contact that she let no other have, and the gentle worry on the 'kami's' face made Queso wish to puke. He was not here for the children's story, but to police the cocky young man who was all over the woman that he himself desired. The miko drew herself up, all traces of nervousness gone as she faced the hoard before her. The words were ancient in their structure, though still understandable, and had the ring of ritual about them as she smiled on the masses, upheld by the man impersonating the 'river god.'

"Today is for the children. We will retell a few legends about our river, but which shall we tell today, my people?"

"How the river blessed the first settlers!"

"Why children are precious!"

"How the kami got his Celestial Pearl!"

"Why he lost the Celestial Pearl!"

"How you brought the river kami home, and why the Apartment Ghost came and then was gone after!"

The kami's laughter at the thronging children rose over the lot, rumbling the firm chest pressed to Chihiro's back and causing her attention to waver from the ritual itself to the ancient being holding her so closely. As he spoke, she wondered about the old festivals, where he had come to bless the villages. In the scrolls, she had read nothing about an attendant accompanying him in the shrine, he had always ridden alone. It had even been noted that the kami much preferred to walk on his own, but would cave in to the begging young men of the villages wishing to be of more service. In some ways, he had treated her as a consort of sorts. But surely that was a silly thought. She was sworn to him, but surely he had no need of a consort, and if he did, it would be another spirit.

"My Children! Three stories is more than enough, elsewise you shall have us here for a thousand years. The first two we shall tell this time in addition to how the river was returned, but the last one requested must remain for the adults to study in the highest ranks of our Priests."

The children crowded closer to hear the words of the players and to see their movements. Throughout the Children's Ritual, the miko was left in wonder at how well her kami handled the children, how patient he was with the explanations. The looks that he shot her on the occasion when some child would scramble up to cling to him confused her though, even as she wished for something she knew she would never have. She was promised to him, and so she would never have children of her own. So, what then was that soft look in his eye, that gradually began to warm. Why did her heart race, and her body feel both heavy and yet light?

"So why did the kami never have children? Didn't he have a wife? Other kami have wives."

The child looked up at Kohakunushi with large eyes. There was a faint tinge of red on his cheeks as his gaze looked sidelong at the miko.

"The kami has no children of his own because he has not been joined to the feminine half of himself yet. It takes a long time for a kami to find a suitable soul."

"Why not? Doesn't he want children?"

"He wants children very much. It just isn't the right time yet. She isn't ready."

Children, of course, are very shrewd, and easily caught what the woman who was really being addressed missed. One just had to ask that most feared of children's questions though.

"Why?"

"My, my. Look at the time. I think that's enough stories for today."

Amidst the groans of the children, Kohakunushi lead his Miko off the stage and into the inner shrine. The public rituals were done now, and it had been a long time since he had his Miko to himself. A nice game of Go sounded very nice right now, and they could better discuss how she has been doing without little ears listening.

* * *

Rakasha - Showering dillemas up there still? See, that's the reason that I didn't live in the dorms in college. Yup, I'm in Weed. Technically, I'm right down the street from you on Siskiyou. 'Promise' had to end though, otherwise there would be no 'Rivers.' Haku: Darn right it had to end. You kept cracking my head open, having people steal or mutilate my things, and don't even get me started on what was going on with my diary . . . Rain: Back away right now, or I'll let Chihiro read it!

Dragonsdaughter1 - Thanks.

KatsyKat - Thanks. Haku wouldn't fall completely apart after all. He just seemed to strong for that.

Pheonix - Yeah, that one ended. At least there are other stories.

Sakura - Glad the button was working for you.

Jojo - Thanks.

JessicaKittyDemon - Here's another chapter.

NitenGale - Thanks.

Jaded image - Yes, WacDonald's and WcNuggets. Mmmm. She probably will, it's in the nature of catfish after all.

Fan - That would be something . . . to get reprimanded by a spirit. It would probably suck.

Alaina - As long as you review, I don't care if you're signed in. Just remember to enjoy yourself.

Sweets - Thanks, the sequel shouldn't be too hard to find, but if it is, just go to my bio page.


	25. April Fooled Again

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

April Fooled Again

LadyRainStarDragon owns no rights to Spirited Away or Miyazaki's characters.

There is a new chapter up for Rivers Never Die in case someone didn't see it. It originally was going to go up in here, but . . .

Well, anyway.

One April Fool's Day removed from the last . . .

* * *

This year, Kohakunushi was ready for April 1st. He opened no mail, he was firmly ensconced in his library, and no one was allowed near him. He was Fool proofed . . . or so he thought. 

This morning, Ryu had a little offering to make. Chihiro hadn't made her usual swim on the last night of the full moon, and so he knew that Haku was one very frustrated dragon. This simple prank was being orchestrated with two other dragons, both of which had been sent similar 'offerings' to make and one slightly crazy wind kami. Sakananushi, Ten and he still could not believe that they had convinced the nameless wind to help them.

Chihiro was also now short three lacy blue see-through bras.

This was the perfect prank to play on the repressed dragon for two good reasons. Reason one was that seeing these and knowing that she probably wore a similar one would make him very uncomfortable for a while, especially if he thought they were gifts. Reason two was even better. Chihiro would think that Haku had swiped them like before.

There was nothing like getting two birds with one stone.

'Let the fireworks begin.'

Careful not to get his scent on the instrument of torment, he tossed the item out into the river, watching as the master accepted what bore his miko's signature without question. As the bra winked out of sight, he hotfooted it back to his bed before anyone found him missing.

Deeply involved in his book, a collection of the haiku that he adored, the literate lizard was very surprised when he felt something materialize in his pocket. Reaching in, he felt a soft bundle, slightly scratchy. Pulling it out, he found three bras, and by the heavy scent of water and cherry knew exactly who they belonged to.

For three hours, he was most uncomfortable, desperately fighting the urge to go claim his bride. That was just a terrible tease, and oh would he make her pay. Then he was going to rip out Ryu and Ten's scales one by one for being bad influences on her. Finally, he was under control again, having fixed his problem by reading a treatise on the koala bear.

Then he felt the unmistakable pull of his bride at his side.

* * *

Chihiro had awoken at her usual time, having been so tired last night that she forgot what today was. So, she didn't quite know what to think when she discovered that three of her most favorite bras were missing. She had just put them away yesterday, so they certainly couldn't be in the wash. It was a real inconvenience too, as she had been planning on wearing one of them. 

This had happened before come to think of it, but last time, he hadn't raided her underwear drawer. That kami was going down! He was definitely going to get a piece of her mind, and if he tried to placate her with watery caresses this time . . .

Chihiro was not what you could consider a morning person unless she had good reason.

Shuffling around after she was dressed, she headed for the kitchen to get her usual offering ready. Just because she was pissed at him was no reason to shirk her duties. In fact, it could be the perfect avenue of revenge. Oh, she was such a bad girl.

As she walked by the calendar, the date reached out and grabbed her. Perfect. She now had two excuses to hammer him. The question was, what should she do? That little sneak! She still couldn't believe he had done that.

Then, she had a sudden stroke of genius. He was not a fan of spicy food, and she just happened to have some very hot wasabi paste on hand. Carefully, she stuffed his onigiri with the mixture, then slipped some of BlowingWind's garlic flavored mochi on the plate as well. She considered sending a pitcher of sake as well, but instead put soy sauce in the pitcher she usually put his sake in. Take that bra thief!

Now, today she was not wearing her usual uniform. Instead, she had put on a light and breezy spring kimono in a gorgeous amethyst shade. It was one that he had given her, as with most of the clothing that she used anymore, and the great draping sleeves were done in the style traditionally worn by virgins and the unmarried. In other words, they did much to sweep the gaze down the body. Accentuating her tiny waist was a wide ruby obi, embroidered with a phoenix and dragon twisting about, lifting her bosom proudly. It was fighting dirty, but since he seemed to have a thing with that area, why not?

A few deft adjustments, and she was showing much more of her bust than she usually did, bringing a most definite flush to her face. She was ready for him now. Carefully balancing the tray, the miko began her journey to her beloved river. The river itself seemed to be in an interesting state of agitation, and the feel it gave off was most definitely confusing.

It only increased as she came nearer, bending over to place her 'offering' in its usual place. Keeping the formal bow, she called to her lord in a low and sultry voice.

"Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama, have you been well my lord?"

The river, which had earlier been muttering to itself, got very quiet, as if it were holding its breath. At last, nervous babbling resumed once more in the shallows, and the maiden intuitively interpreted his language. Straightening carefully, she shyly gazed into the river that she spoke with. Given that she had never been really keen on exposing herself to the view of others, she didn't need to fake it.

"I am glad that you have been well. Please accept my humble offering in thanks for all that you have done for me."

She hadn't realized that flirting would be this hard, and as she batted her eyes coyly, knowing that he would see, she colored a little deeper. Had that been a groan she had heard? Nah, couldn't be. The waters rose a little to take the offering, licking at her toes and tickling them with their gentle touch. Of course, since she was already embarrassed, today she blushed even deeper at his touch.

It was at this moment the wind kami struck.

A sudden gust of wind blew open the skirt of her kimono, angled just so. Her legs were exposed to the reaching river lord up to the thigh. A panicked wail rose from the miko as she hurriedly closed herself up again, muttering about unpredictable April winds. The poor girl ran off without even a proper closure, too embarrassed even though he had seen her before. It was one thing when you were swimming, and a totally different thing when wearing regular clothing.

The poor young river kami was standing in his office with his mouth wide open in shock. It was safe to say that his brain had been addled by his unexpected treats. His 'tribute' was forgotten in his hands as his mind looped her whole performance over and over again. The shell-shocked serpentine spirit couldn't even make it to a cushion or chair, instead just sitting on the floor. Absently, he began to eat one of the onigiri, hoping that maybe food would help him away from the thoughts now forming a conga line in his head.

"HOT!"

The food had worked very well, and now his mouth felt like he had eaten acid. Desperate to get the taste out, the poor young male shoved some of the mochi in, only to be greeting by the strong taste of garlic. Evidently, someone in the Shrine was feeling ill again, since that was the only time any of them ever had garlic in the mochi. Disgusted with his luck, he quickly poured some of his drink one-handed while scrubbing at his abused oral appendage with the other. Maybe if he had been looking at what he was pouring he would have been more prepared.

"Gross!"

The salty substance definitely got rid of the taste of wasabi and garlic. However, he now had his salt quota for the day as well. Glaring at his 'little gift' from his priestess, he began plotting how he would get his revenge on the little strumpet.

* * *

Chihiro spent her day in dodging prank after prank. Some worked, some didn't, and of course there were the ones that hadn't been intended for her which she just didn't understand. All of these pranks were carefully hidden from the public at least. It just wasn't seemly for spring snakes to pop out at just anybody after all. 

After all of that nonsense, she was very tired, and intended to enjoy her swim tonight. The water was a warm and inviting ribbon of shimmering darkness, and as Chihiro removed her cotton yukata, she reveled in the crisp air soon giving way to silken currents.

Kohakunushi watched from his library, refusing to leave until the last few hours of the 24-hour period had safely flowed away. How dare she tease him like that and then not properly take care of him? Did she think he had an instant switch or something that he could conveniently flip to help him keep his part of the deal between Jinja and Kami? Two could play at her game.

Believing herself to be safe since spirits usually observed a slightly different definition of the marks between days than humans did, the miko slipped through the water expertly. The worries of her day dissolved in the embracing waters.

Carefully manipulating his currents, the lord of the river teased her tired body with caresses from the plants, tracing feather light paths down her body. By the elevation of temperature in the water immediately touching her skin, he knew the effect that it was having.

"The weeds seem to like touching me tonight."

The unsuspecting maiden sat down on one of the rocks, attempting to will the unwelcome feelings away. It wasn't proper for her to have those, and most especially when she was currently within the material body of the kami that she served. Leaning back against another, she began splashing her face to cool the rising heat signifying a blush.

It didn't work. She merely flashed back to a couple years ago and her very strange encounter with her dearest friend. Because of the nature of her memory, it made her problem even worse. She could remember exactly how it felt, down to the tiniest scrape of scale. As she fought against the memory, she found herself falling deeper into it, the lure of the 'forbidden' working its charms against the part of her mind that didn't care about conventions. Grasses that she hadn't even realized were there kept tickling her arm, the sole of a foot, and other unexpected places.

Her vengeful kami, knowing the workings of her body even better than she herself did, knew exactly where she was, and chose this moment to fulfil his plot. A sudden swift current of freezing water swept into the little cove, completely enfolding her and washing her up unto the shore before draining away to leave trailing fingers trickling down her flesh.

"You! You imp!"

The river was undeniably laughing at her bedraggled form. The human stood up and prepared to leap into the river, forgetting there was no way she was going to win a wrestling match with one of those. Before she could though, a giant wave of cold water rose up and drenched her yet again. This continued for a few minutes, Chihiro trying to get in, and then getting pushed back to the shore in an undignified mess. The last time, she ended up on her butt, legs spread, and facing the river.

"You realize that I'm probably going to get a cold now."

While she glared at the river and attempted to cut him down to size with her eyes, a warm tongue of water lapped at one toe and she clearly heard his voice in her mind.

'But you should realize by now that you can't out fight a dragon. Eat this, and I can guarantee that you won't catch a cold.'

The river offered up a dumpling on a lily leaf, which Chihiro accepted and looked at critically.

'It's not going to turn you into anything. It has a good health spell on it.'

It was the truth, he had taken that into consideration and the dumpling really did have a good health spell on it. However, it also had a generous serving of wasabi tucked in with the rest of the filling. He watched as she took a big bite, and eventually ate the whole thing. He had mixed it very carefully, and only after she ate the whole thing would she taste exactly how spicy it was.

"Ah!"

Both hands went to her delicate mouth, and since she now had no firm purchase on land, another swift wave rose up to drag her under the water. Wrapping his essence even more tightly around her, he made sure that she did not need to worry about breathing in the water. Her open eyes had the distinct feeling like he was gazing deeply into her own, which brought her problem back even more intensely.

'Don't tease a dragon, my little fish. Patience.'

When she was gently laid back on the shore, she found one hand clutching the missing three bras. It took a little while to gather herself together enough to put her yukata back on and go back to the Shrine.

* * *

Jojo - Glad you enjoyed the imp. Everyplace needs a little hellion to keep things lively. Yes, one would think it would be stupid to agree to wait three years. 

sakurablossomskxk - I am glad that you have enjoyed my work so far.

KatsyKat - (Not Yet & White Death) I'm glad that you enjoyed them.

NitenGale - Personally, written laughter doesn't bug me. Since Sunday is tomorrow, there are presents for you then. Let me know how the trip went!

Leanne - Did you get the note about the sequel?

Jaded image - I could have had Kumiro do it, but everyone would have expected that! Who would expect him to keep people from groping pretty women?

Ebona Nite - Statistics is evil. It really is. Glad that you enjoyed it.

Monchi - There probably will be more humor between those two. After all, I'm sure our favorite dragon is going to be jealous of a single male hanging around her so often.


	26. The Prank Masters

Courting the River Maid Collection

The Prank Masters

Rain does not own Spirited Away or the mentioned and very helpful book. Thankfully, she doesn't own Barney either.

* * *

It was the day after April Fool's Day, which of course meant it was April 2nd. Chihiro had also figured out after her very sleepless night that she and her kami had been lead by their noses right into some very embarrassing predicaments. 

Very embarrassing.

Now how on earth was she going to go down to the river and speak with her kami? She didn't think she could even look him in the eye anymore after last night. The problem was, she had to go down there, or risk him storming up to demand why she was mistreating him so. She could see it now, floods up and down river, people freaking out, a demand for virgin sacrifices.

Ok, there her mind had run waaaaay off base. But still, it wasn't unknown for a kami to get pissed off at his or her attendants and throw a bit of a temper tantrum. Even the most peaceful ones were subject to the occasional fit if the old stories were to be believed.

That could be bad, especially if she was still cowering in the covers from her embarrassment. He had seen her bras for heaven's sake.

However, she swallowed her pride. There was only one other person who had any reason to be in her underwear drawer, and that was a certain trouble making dragon who also happened to live here. It wasn't his turn to do laundry,she was out of chocolate thanks to his ceaseless searches, and so it left only one other reason.His reason was all she needed. Trouble.

She was just going to have to go down there, make the daily offering, and explain to him that she had jumped to conclusions and fallen into Ryu's trap.

That blasted dragon had to have laughed under his breath all night at the two of them. He had probably videotaped their little confrontation.

* * *

Kohakunushi was currently frowning at the image in his view mirror. There were no words to describe how guilty he felt about yesterday. Yes, his payback had been extremely fun at the time, but now his priestess was acting like she was afraid to get out of the bed. Even Haku felt a bit guilty, although not much, he had been rooting for taking his revenge by finally getting what they wanted. Nushi had of course not allowed it to go that far. He was a kami of principle after all. 

Both Haku and Nushi wanted to go comfort her.

After what seemed like ages to Kohakunushi, his Promised One finally got out of her bed. Of course, her sleeping gi chose just then to reveal a creamy shoulder, and he was in much the same predicament as yesterday morning. At least it wasn't as bad though. There were no 'magic' bras. What on earth was so intriguing about a garment though? Was it the thought of the curves? Some lingering smell of where it had been?

He watched as she gathered the clothes that she was going to wear, then sighed in frustration when she took them to the bathroom. Today she was obviously starting her morning off with a cold shower. It would be a few minutes before she came down to his banks. He could wait to apologize.

* * *

Chihiro did not even notice the freezing cold of the water coursing over her body as she washed away any impurities that she may have managed to pick up over the course of the night, which would have been quite a bit considering the places she had found her mind. She blamed it all on Ryu. He seemed to be obsessed with getting Haku and herself to sleep together. Did he have any concept of how hard it would be for her to work if that happened? She could see it now, right in the middle of a matsuri and just falling off of the moving shrine writhing and moaning just because of some stray thought. Nu-uh, not happening. 

At last her thoughts settled back to the peace that they rightfully belonged in, and after drying quickly, the Shrine Maiden donned her uniform of blue and white for normal duty. It wasn't very much longer before she greeted the sun either, although it took her longer than usual to get down to the river.

She was walking _very_ slowly, looking down as was proper for a shrine keeper who had challenged her kami, not to mention one that was sure she looked like a fire engine right about now.

Needless to say, Kohakunushi was getting rather impatient. Yes, he had suffered some rather interesting repercussions from their wrestling match last night, but could it have really been that bad? Surely she would not have any objections to _that_ if she had been wearing such revealing clothing yesterday morning!

At last, a very contrite human had set out the offering in the traditional manner, but this time she was all the way on the ground. Kohaku didn't like that one bit. After all, there were rocks there, and it surely had to hurt to kneel on them. He wanted her knees to work.

"I'm sorry, Nigihayami Kohakunushi-sama!"

He didn't like that either. No one was watching, it was perfectly fine for her to use any of his nicknames. His silly human had learned the ritual words a little too well, and needed to loosen up a little bit. It wasn't like he was going to flood out the whole community over a few little pranks. Well, not for hers anyway. She had been rather creative.

'I apologize as well. Get up off of the rocks before you hurt yourself, Chihiro.'

His waters had risen to accept her very sizable offering. In addition to the normal things, she had also included quite a bit of imported organic fruit. There were things that he would have preferred more, but they could wait for later. At least she hadn't flinched when his waters had clasped her outstretched hands as he had risen up from his course. He watched in amusement as she scrambled into a more comfortable position.

'It seems that someone decided to take their amusement with us yesterday.'

"Y-yes. It seems so."

'Do you have any idea who it was?'

"Is there any doubt? It had to be Ryu. He has an obsession I think."

'I suspected him as well. The problem is how do we pay him back for his . . . escapade?'

The maiden sat by the river deep in thought, her hand trailing in the water absently. Unknown to her, the spirit of the river was relishing her automatic caresses, both having quickly forgiven the other and seeking contact. Haku, as usual, wanted more but Nushi had no intention of letting him just yet. Of course, that didn't stop the water from sneaking up her arm a little bit further as he returned her attentions.

"It needs to be something embarrassing. The problem is, what could possibly be embarrassing enough. BlowingWind already knows what his boxers look like since she does his laundry."

Haku wondered if the clothes washer or the dryer was eating his clothes again. The volcano dragon always seemed to have trouble with those appliances. He had lost count of how many times a disgruntled Ryu had stalked his banks at night shattering his peace complaining about that. Why, even he could successfully use a washer and drier without stuff getting mangled or going missing.

That's when inspiration took her baseball bat and pounded him over the head. He knew just what would embarrass his wayward 'guest' to no end.

'A picture.'

"A picture? You must be working too hard. What's so embarrassing about a picture?"

'You would be surprised, Chihiro. Now, Ryu has drawn at least one sketch of what he thinks his kids would look like with BlowingWind. If you can find one, and put it somewhere she will be sure to see it, but he won't . . .'

"Ah! She takes care of him for us, and we get to watch him try to worm his way out of his sticky situation."

'Precisely.'

He could never articulate how lovely she was when she had a plan of attack. Her grey eyes would positively glow and she became so much brighter. It was captivating, and he would have been content to just keep the majority of his consciousness right there and brood over her, but she had other plans. At least she said good bye this time. Now he just needed to distract Ryu while Chihiro was on her hunt.

Wait! He hadn't told her to send him down here.

Chihiro was almost out of his range of sight from where he was, when she stopped and turned to wink at the near frantic river. Had she opened up enough to hear him from a bit further away?

"I'll send Ryu down to talk with you, I trust you'll come up with a convincing distraction."

Did she ever have any idea of what a simple look from her could do? At this time, a very nervous wind kami took off for upriver. The sudden raising of the winds caused one dragon to become very suspicious. He would just wait and see though, he already knew what he was going to do with him.

* * *

Chihiro found Ryu in his usual morning haunt . . . the kitchen. From her experience with dragons, they seemed to be obsessed with health food. While BlowingWind was struggling to both cook and keep her boyfriend from picking at breakfast, Chihiro cleared her throat in the doorway. 

"Ryu, Haku would like a word with you. He requested that I send you down to the river to speak with him."

Chihiro did not miss the volcano dragon's sudden blanching, but she stayed calm and pretended to be unaware of why the kami would seek to speak with Ryu. BlowingWind was too busy with the bacon. They had to be careful to have at least a little meat once a week, or she would get rather ill.

Once Ryu was safely outside of the living quarters, Chihiro quickly searched the room that BlowingWind and Ryu shared. She looked everywhere that she could think of, including both his underwear and the dreaded sock drawer. She now had seen more than she ever wanted to of his things, but had not come across her target. Finally, under the bed she found a very interesting box, which thankfully had been left unlocked, as if the owner had hidden it in haste. Carefully, she lifted the pine lid.

'Jackpot.'

Chihiro couldn't believe the things that she found. Fuzzy handcuffs, some lingerie that BlowingWind had been missing for a while, a pillowcase with a lipstick stain, a few issues of Playboy, one of those double packs of pregnancy tests, a small three-pack of 'caps', badly written love poetry obviously about BlowingWind, a few gifts that she had given him that had no practical value . . . the list went on and on. That wasn't the best thing though. Not by a long shot.

He had small paintings, sketches, water colors, and chalk drawings that he had done. He was really quite a talented artist, they just looked so lifelike. Some were sweet, like a few that depicted BlowingWind and what he thought her kids would look like. Others were much more . . . risque. She couldn't discriminate though. They, along with the handcuffs and caps, found a new home in BlowingWind's underwear drawer.

Carefully, she replaced the box where it had been, then hotfooted it out of their room. She needed to help with breakfast.

* * *

"Hi, Haku! Beautiful day. So, uh, what did you want to talk to me about?" 

'. . . .'

"Haku?"

'What is the meaning of Life?'

Great. The river dragon was feeling philosophical today. Why so early in the morning? Breakfast hadn't even been served yet.

"To make babies, Haku."

The volcano dragon had fallen right into the river dragon's trap. No dragon could resist discussing philosophy, and Haku would use that to his advantage.

'That's the purpose. What is the _meaning_?'

"To live."

'But that is a purpose also.'

"Hm. You're right."

They had gone on like this for fifteen minutes, and still had not discovered the meaning of life, although Ryu had postulated many very good purposes for it, most revolving around food and procreation. Haku was laughing to himself that Ryu had fallen right into the oldest unanswered question in the history of the world. Everyone knew there was no meaning for life, it just was. Hence, why it had been the perfect topic of discussion. He could keep this going forever if he wanted to, but luckily he didn't want to.

"Maybe there is no meaning in life, and we just run around and cause as much trouble as we can, even when we think that we are helping, then it all ends!"

It certainly sounded like he didn't get any last night either, the same for as long as Haku had known Ryu.

'Could it possibly include in someone's love life as well?'

Ryu missed the little barb completely, his wits dulled by the fact that he had been sentenced to sleeping on the couch last night and the fact that he was hungry. He hadn't gotten dinner, either.

"Maybe, but there are some people who are just so stubborn that they won't admit their feelings to each other."

'Really? Maybe they are just waiting for the right time.'

Ryu made a sound of disbelief while he plopped down where Chihiro had been earlier.

"Maybe, but there's this couple I know that just won't get it over with. They dance around the issue like it's a plague or something."

Ryu covered his mouth as he realized that he had been caught. He would have made a move to get away, but the river had effectively immobilized him.

'Who helped you?'

"Concerned friends?"

'Who?'

"I'm not telling. No. My word is my bond."

'If you say so.'

Chihiro had to have set up their revenge by now, she was a clever girl. With that in mind, he released the now panicking magma dragon. He was patient and could wait.

"What are you going to do to me?"

'Me? Nothing.'

Ryu was left unconvinced. Surely after the prank that he had planned and had help pulling, Kohakunushi was going to squish him as flat as he could and make him gouge his own eyes out for even looking at Chihiro's underwear drawer. The water made a strange flow reversal for a moment, almost like a shrug. The other dragon was well advised to be on his guard.

'Go on and eat.'

With great satisfaction, the river's spirit watched his 'guest' head back for the Shrine living quarters. While it would probably be a while for the fireworks, he was going to catch and torture a wind spirit. He probably should be giving thanks for the show he got yesterday, but it also meant that the wind spirit had seen it too. Now, where did he put that bag?

* * *

The next morning . . . 

The wind stirred only weakly, as Kohakunushi had tortured the poor spirit almost to the brink of insanity. He had played the Barney theme song repeatedly and at full volume until the poor kami could stand it no more, and howled the syllables as best as he could as to the names of the other accomplices. After even a half hour of that, no force in existence could withstand the sheer horror of _Barney_.

Summarily, Ten was now locked in his office with all of the paperwork that he was months behind on. His cousin, Sakananushi, had received tons of flowers and boxed chocolates from his admiring male shrine keepers. Or at least that's what the note said, forged to look like it was from the shrine keepers. Oh yes, he was now one very nervous and disturbed kami.

The sky was turning from grey to orange, meaning that the humans would be getting up any time now.

"Ryu! You sick arse!"

Let the fireworks begin. Happily, he perked his ears just a bit more to catch every bellowed syllable. If he hadn't known she was human, he could have sworn that she was a dragon woman.

Chihiro had been on her way out of her room for the bathroom, answering Mother Nature's call, when the door across the hall flew open and Ryu landed at her feet. It had only been a second since 'Wind's good morning wake-up call to the rest of the household, and he had clearly already had enough. He gave her accusing eyes, knowing that she had been the plant.

"You raided my hoard."

"You raided my bras. You're lucky Haku didn't kill you."

"Are you kidding? Death would have been kinder."

The door flew open again, and a BlowingWind in her day clothes yanked a very distressed Ryu back into the room where the sounds of many slaps and such could easily be heard. She almost felt sorry for Ryu.

Almost.

Whistling, Chihiro performed her greeting to the sun and then took her morning offering to her kami. Ryu slept on the couch for quite a while, especially after Chihiro told BlowingWind about what he had done to her and Haku. Ryu swore that he would never ever get in her underwear drawer again, unless he was hunting for contraband food items since they would think he had ransacked that anyway.

That didn't stop him from buying her any lingerie, and he made another vow to buy the skimpiest and most embarrassing ensemble he could find as a 'wedding gift' when she finally got mated. He would make them open the package at the party too. He thought that pink would be a good color, or white. He would also be sure to include a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting.

* * *

Rain's Replies 

Animeluvr911 - What are you confused about? This thread is a collection of stuff that didn't make it into the other series. Focusing on romance and friendship, it spans all of Chihiro's life, life a scrambled box of photos. If you are still confused, check out my bio page and maybe it will help. If not, email me with specific questions.

Jaded image and Jojo - You bet.

Fyraga - (for Not Yet) Thanks.

Kitai Shinsei - (Not Yet) Thank you.

KatsyKat - This was for you, hope you were satisfied with their revenge!


	27. Dangerous Dream

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Dangerous Dream

By: LadyRainStarDragon

The reason Chihiro doesn't think Kohaku wants her.

* * *

Sunlight streamed on her plump form, tracing each full curve of her body with golden fingers as she waddled around the garden to tend the young plants. The round bulge of her belly betrayed the growing child in her womb, and the young man watched her restless traipsing through half-lidded eyes. He could deny the woman nothing, and though voicing the occasional rumble about letting others do such strenuous work so near to her time, he allowed her to work away her nervousness, knowing better than to mess with a woman in the grip of a nesting urge.

A small child toddled over from where she had been talking to a willow tree in the garden, smiling shyly at her father as he basked in the sun, ever watchful over her mother. Green eyes sparkled out of her milky face, wise beyond her three years of life. Black hair cascaded in midnight waterfalls to hide tiny ears and sweep the tops of her shoulders.

Rosebud lips pressed a kiss to her father's cheek, then were carried away by lively feet as they dashed to give her mother a similar surprise. Slips of hands fisted themselves into the blue and white cotton the Priestess wore in the summer heat, then released again as the child's innocent laughter filled the air to mingle with the murmurs of the nearby river.

The dream faded away, filing itself into the back of her mind. As the woman sat up, she rested her hand on her stomach for a moment, then shook off the remnants of sleep. There was school to get to, and one of the miko from another Jinja would be meeting her after classes to study myths in the library.

She had to keep reminding herself of why kami rarely gave humans children, how dangerous a fantasy it was to even entertain. Human bodies were rarely strong enough to withstand the pregnancy inspired by such a powerful creature as a dragon. Even making it through the pregnancy, there would be no guarantee of both surviving the birth.

She wanted his children, she could admit that to herself, so badly that she would willingly allow him to place them if he only asked. She wanted resolution to the feelings that stirred every time she thought about it. It was a temptation that she could not allow herself to give in to though. He was not her husband, such thoughts were base and sinful.

The woman would bring him no honor if he were to be merciful and respond to her body's cries again, she was just a mere human. He deserved better than she, stronger than she.

The maiden pulled out a photocopy that she had made of one source from the library. Carefully tracing over the figures with her eyes, she read the ancient words she had found buried in one of the old books that had been transcribed from scrolls.

'Human and spirit rarely produce viable offspring in the human manner. This is due to the flesh of the human being weak, and impure, and the spirit being too strong for the flesh. If there is any trace of fear, impurity, or weakness, the human will die. The element that the kami embodies will fill the vessel past the breaking point, driving the soul out and into the realm of spirit. What happens after the physical death is unknown. There is a type of spirit that makes its living doing such dreadful things, but such can happen even when spirit and human truly feel for each other. There have been cases where a kami, feeling guilt over such deeds, has withdrawn from their life source in order to die in atonement.'

Shivering, remembering how distraught Father had said Mother was after Auntie's drowning, she reaffirmed to herself that she would not let that happen to herself. She was not afraid of death, it came for everyone eventually. However, she would not let her friend blame himself for such an action, nor would she place herself in a situation that would take her mother back into the depression that Father said took years to wrest Mother from.

That still did not stop the miko from wishing.


	28. Stupid Lemon

Courting the River Maid Collection

Stupid Lemon

By: LadyRainStarDragon, who does not own Spirited Away, Haku, or Chihiro. Those belong to Hayao Miyazaki.

* * *

Three humans sat on cushions around the dining table, gazing morosely at the horror crouching on their plates. Kami only knew how long they had been sitting there, glaring at the doom that mocked them. A blue and white Priestess tried to sneak away from the table when the chef had his back turned, but the superiorhearing that hepossessedbetrayed the rustle of fabric. 

"Sit down and eat."

Meekly sitting back down, she pushed at the offensive edible with a chopstick.

"The sooner you eat, the sooner you leave."

Three humans attempted to incinerate the dark eyed evil nutritionist with laser beams from their eyes, but it did not work. Try as they might, humans just did not possess that ability. They were left to figure out a way to bail themselves out, or give in and eat the evil fruit of death.

"Look, I just want to make sure that you stay healthy."

Firm and round, supple and smooth, they tempted them with sweet promises. The humans were not fooled by the winking eye, nor by the tantalizing scent. The three of them knew what punishment awaited should they give in to the pleasure promised within.

"It's not like they're going to bite you! Quite dead you know."

The old Priest courageously grasped one, preparing to caress the firm and tender flesh with the sharpened implement, but hesitated. Hastily he laid the knife back down, eyeing the object with great distrust. The Shamaness wouldn't even touch hers, opting instead for the pouty face.

"No, for the final time, you can't have any sugar with it."

The Priestess could stand no more, and lashed out with a knife of her own, a great cry shaking the windchimes on the eves of the building. The vile object fell neatly in half, but not before another cry, this timeof pain poured out of the Shrine, causing deer to look up from their forest browsing in alarm.

"My eye! It burns!"

Fifteen minutes later, her eye had been thoroughly rinsed of the creature's poison. Neither of the other humans had moved, still trading death glares with the ferocious beasts that the dragon was trying to force them to eat.

"For Kami's sake! It's one of the flavors in Mountain Dew, and two of you are always begging for just one sip of that!"

"Lemons are evil."

"Yeah, Chihiro's attacked her."

"I'm old, it is not happening."

"Then quit smuggling chocolate and soda. All three of you. The more of that stuff that comes in this building, the more lemons you will eat."

The poor humans eventually ate the lemons, or so the dragon thought. In reality, they were hidden in the robes the Shrine Attendants wore. Later that day, Chihiro and 'Wind sat down by the river juicing the evil things, and filling little water pistols with a deadly combination of the juice and river water. Chihiro's mother had pulled the guilt trick on Chihiro, and she was supposed to be escorted to a meeting by Queso-san.

"All this because of some stupid lemons. If mom hadn't called just then, I could have gone all by myself. No, she had to call while we were staring at the _lemons_."

"I hate lemons."

* * *

Thanks go to jaded image, jojo, NitenGale, Kasha, and fan for reviewing. 


	29. Revenge 'Stupid Lemon, part 2'

Courting the River Maid Collection

Revenge (Stupid Lemon, part 2)

By: LadyRainStarDragon

The darn lemon is attacking again. So we attempt once more to exorcize this evil youkai.

* * *

Koji had strolled down to the river to have a word with his kami about the guardian he had appointed to watch over the humans of the Shrine in his absence. He had a complaint or three about what he was being subjected to. The latest was The Lemon Incident. He, his granddaughter, and the American had spent at least an hour staring down the evil fruits. It would have been funny and served the girls right, but why did he get pulled into the punishment? 

He hated lemons. All three of them did.

And Ryu had known it. That was why he had decided to virtually force feed them the lemons, hoping to stop them from eating unhealthy food. Every time they were caught with junk food . . . out came the Evil Lemons of Justice. The last one, he had been sure was some kind of youkai, the way the little pores seemed to stare right back at him.

He was just about prepared to start speaking his mind, when he saw the two troublemakers who had pulled him into the mess. They were busy disposing of their punishment, by making weapons filled with the juice.

"Uh. Hi, Ji-chan."

"For Queso-san?"

Innocent smiles hid the two little demons that were his grandchild and her friend. With a quick look at the river, he pulled out his lemon and gave it to the now astounded girls.

"Fill one up for me too. I'll get the dratted volcano dragon. Thinks he can feed me lemons, does he?"

By this time, the whispers at the river's edge had annoyed the river kami enough that he was paying attention, wondering what the girls were plotting now. He had gotten quite used to having Ten, Ryu, and some strange European guy regularly flung into his physical body. He didn't really like it when freshly sprouted plants got smooshed or new fish spooked though. Kohaku had learned that whenever the girls were whispering together by his banks, mischief was usually afoot.

They weren't close enough to the water that he could see what they were doing though, until Chihiro gave an experimental squeeze on a trigger, causing a small jet to shoot from her hand.

'Why do I have a bad feeling about this?'

Koji grinned as he took a juice and water filled pistol, hiding it in a fold of his robe. BlowingWind looked at the old man with respect.

"Everybody ready for Operation Revenge?"

The other two nodded, but then Chihiro's face fell as she caught sight of the hideous beast now striding her way, losing her balance and tumbling into the water. The sheen on his now bleached hair had temporarily blinded her, causing her foot to trip on a rock, thus the loss of balance and thoroughly ungraceful arch and splash into the swift and cold river. Miraculously, no plants were hurt, recognizing that what might as well be part of the river was temporarily rejoining them.

Kohakunushi, merged with his river, wondered if he should sweep her home to him, or set a vicious catfish on the approaching intruder who regularly bothered his miko by his banks.

Chihiro, upon emergence, was soaked. Her uniform clung to each curve of her body, giving Queso the delight of his life. Understandably, she was now in a foul mood, being eyed like she was meat.

"What were you doing in the river? I thought I was supposed to escort you to the meeting. Aren't you supposed to report on the success of the project, and how well the river is recovering?"

Chihiro started to growl, water pistol still firmly in hand. The clueless idiot took off his light jacket, coming closer to the woman whose temper was now coiled like a snake preparing to strike.

"Why, you must be freezing! Let's get you inside and into the dry clothes. That would be good, verdad?"

As the man touched her shoulders, and pulled his hands down them a little 'smoothing' the jacket onto her, she let loose the whole pistol into his face. The scent of lemon filled the air, and two other streams joined in her retaliation.

"My eyes! What did I do this time?"

Koji pushed the man into the water, standing over his now sodden form mercilessly. A few baby river grasses were crushed beneath the intruding form, and fish scattered out of the reeds, screaming for the protection of their lord.

"You touched my granddaughter."

A sudden rise in the speed of the current as the river lord answered the cries of his subjects swept Queso away. Chihiro and BlowingWind went back to the Shrine to get her dried and changed in time to make the meeting. Koji just stood at the bank gazing forlornly at the empty water gun that he held.

"Kohakunushi, do you realize that Ryu fed us _lemons_ for eating a little bit of chocolate and drinking a few pops?"

The water merely burbled unconcernedly, clearly saying something to the effect of, "So next time do not get caught. You should not eat that stuff anyway, it will rot your teeth."

Needless to say, Queso didn't get his date that the Miko had been cornered into. A catfish did get rather amorous with him, much to Kohakunushi's amusement. He didn't even have to set it on the cheesy European that he had kept an eye on for so long. The poor fish was heartbroken when her 'shiny' finally made it out of the water though.

Chihiro did manage to make it to the meeting, and even though it was extremely boring, she was not bored. The whole time she found herself prickling with the presence of a spirit, felt it wrapping about her body and keeping her in a possessive grip. She gave her report, even though she did not hear her own words, as she seemed to be seeing the room with new eyes.

On her way home, she grabbed a burger and chocolate milkshake from WacDonald's, scarfing it down before she got home and was caught by the food police. When she got home to the Shrine, there was a lily waiting on her bed. And a huge plate of rice balls sat silently reprimanding her to eat healthily.

"Who tattled?"

* * *

Next up, River Matsuri! Coming soon, the first thing since 'that day' that qualifies as a date. 

Reviewer's Corner

Jaded image - it is an amusing thought, isn't it? Yes, there is a bit of a cloud on the horizon.

Nitengale - If his head stayed in the game, maybe he would have won. BlowingWind reminds me of a cactus, all prickly even though the flower is pretty. It's going to be interesting to se Fujiyama's reaction.


	30. Kumiro Returns

Courting the River Maid (Collection)

Kumiro Returns

Do I look like Miyazaki? Do I look like Studio Ghibli? Do I look like Disney, or Buena Vista? If you think so . . . see the nearest optometrist, because I don't own any rights to Spirited Away. However, I do own this tasty orange/vanilla creme soda . . . no wait, that's all gone too.

Neither do I own Inuyasha, and all things from the manga and anime belong to Rumiko Takahashi.

* * *

A pair of eyes the color of the Imperial Iris peered out from a smiling face as they walked up the footpath which lead to the Kohakugawa Jinja. Night itself had adorned the young man's head, pulling itself back in a horsetail to hang down the darkly clad back. The young man had a penchant for purple and black, and today he was clad no differently. 

As much as he loved the colors though, he hoped to exchange them for the blue and white of the sacred order that ran the quaint compound he approached. A dear friend of his had confessed that the Shrine that she lived in needed help for the approaching summer season, and most notably the big festival for the river that was approaching. Even with her impending graduation, Chihiro couldn't hope to keep up with everything, and being the heir to the Shrine, many duties fell heavy on her.

Kumiro had a bit of training in taking care of Temples, he didn't think that the process could be too different for a Shrine. He also was graduating this year, with the proud title of Archivist. Well, technically Librarian, but Archivist sounded much better and meant the same thing. He had no problem in applying for a position as groundskeeper or whatever they needed help with.

Besides, this way he would also have front-row seats to watch her turn down the idiots. He was thick sometimes when it came to girls, but all these guys, particularly that idiot Queso, were even worse. It was almost like the guy thrived on pain or something.

Soon enough, Kumiro saw the buildings, and felt awe at their elegant simplicity. For such a new compound, it was very well organized. There was a separate building for the public shrine, the worship hall, and the private shrine. There was a cozy looking living quarters for the live in caretakers, which had a distinct homey feeling emanating from it. There was even a stage for kagura and other performances, a garden, training dojo, and well house. The river ran nearby, and a trail led down to the bank, well used. The torii that separated the holy area from the mundane area were lovingly cared for, a rich red blazing in the sun.

Everything here looked so alive and fresh, the plants greener than in the forest. Of course, there was still the same amount of mud, due to yesterday's rain. Kumiro wondered if the Sunset Shrine in Tokyo had once looked like this. That was a special place to him, but he was not able to go there anymore since he was said to look so much like his ancestor, Miroku. It would confuse the legendary miko there too much, and possibly change their past and future. Besides, this place felt right to him.

The voice of an old man could be heard from a storage shed yelling at a box that did not want to be lifted onto the proper shelf, and Kumiro ran to help before whoever it was could hurt himself too badly.

* * *

Koji was lost in the store room, up to his ears in a new shipment of charms for the Shrine's store. It had been far more successful than even his wildest dreams could have projected, fueled by returning community pride, and lots of spirits happy to see such a traditional center return. Business was booming. 

The down side was that his most trusted assistants were all still busy with college. Even once they graduated though, he was still going to be snowed under, since everyone but Ryu would be pursuing regular jobs. The problem was, it just didn't feel right to rely too much on a spirit that had a domain of his own to check on.

The old priest looked even older than he really was as he thought this over. Chihiro was the one he would be leaving the Shrine to once he was too old, but she would need someone to share the duties with. Especially as she was an adult now, and he had arranged for her to be wed with their kami, sort of a perpetual miko, but without the virgin part in the coming future. Based on who she was joining with, there was no way that she would not conceive. How was he going to tell her though?

Chihiro was either going to be furious or ecstatic.

A knock at the door of the open shed pulled the old priest out of his morose thoughts.

"Ogino-daitoku?"

"Hai?"

"Chihiro said that you were expecting a big shipment today when we last met. Can I help you?"

The old man surveyed the younger man carefully. This one had power, had that aura that surrounded all who were called to serve the people as a holy person. He was strong and healthy too, and seemed to have a firm grasp on who he was.

"Help stowing these until they are blessed would be wonderful. Who are you and how do you know my Chihiro?"

The young man began to help put away the boxes, the pair talking as they worked.

"My name is Taijiya Kumiro. We met at college and sort of became rather good friends."

"Ah. You're the one that she thought might be a good candidate for a second apprentice if you decided not to study in your family's Temple."

"She's talked about me to you?"

"M-hm"

The boxes were all shelved now, turned so that the labels were clearly visible. Kumiro noticed that the floor was a bit dusty, and so he grabbed a broom and began to sweep without being asked. Growing up helping out at the Temple that his family helped to care for, he knew well the routine of tidying up. However, his family was so large and extended, that there really was not much for him to do there. Despite his ability to perform exorcisms and blessings, he had been in the way more times than not. Consequentially, he had moved away to Hokkaido to find himself, to find where he belonged and was needed. This Shinto Jinja already felt like home to him, even though it was his first visit.

"I don't really know what I want to do with my life. Most of my family is already involved with the Temple, and so there isn't anything there that I can help out with. I've always preferred Shinto practices anyway. I want to be needed, and I don't seem to be needed back home."

"Well, there is quite a lot to do around here, and most of the helpers are female. A male influence would help keep the Shrine balanced."

"Isn't the kami of the Shrine male?"

"Yes, but Chihiro is the one who will be taking my place when I am gone. She should have a male balance, but the way things have worked out for her life . . . she won't have a human husband."

"That I noticed."

"You have seen him then?"

"Brief impressions."

"When can you start your training?"

"Today."

The storage shed was now tidy and orderly, and the young man followed after the old priest, having been given the uniform of the Jinja. Kumiro, after being led to the house, was instructed to go change and then to be ready for a tour of the compound.

* * *

A loud ruckus came from the path that led to the Shrine compound, mainly due to three voices complaining about the upcoming finals. Well, more appropriately it was two loud voices, and one distracted and dreaming third voice at a much quieter level that had been giving one-word answers for the past 10 minutes. 

"Can you believe it! All my finals are going to be in one day!"

"Hai."

"Well, Wind, the course catalouge clearly delineated when they were going to be. You could have taken different classes."

"Not if I wanted to finish my degree this coming year! What about you Chihiro?"

"Hai."

"That's right, you're going to be done soon after this."

"Hai."

Ryu and BlowingWind looked at each other, the trio walking into view of the priest and his new assistant. Chihiro's one word answers were bothering them. Ryu had the perfect answer to her inattentiveness.

"You want to have kids."

"Hai."

"You want Haku's kids."

"Hai. Hai. What!"

She was paying attention now, or maybe she wasn't. The poor thing looked like a tomato as she raced the rest of the way home, eager now to change and do her chores for the day. Kumiro watched her blow past, not even seeing him in her haste to escape her admission. This was much better than going back home to work in the stuffy Temple. Turning back to the task of minding the garden as he was being told the legends associated with the kami, he wondered just how much he didn't know about the other central figures to this Jinja.

Several minutes later, a still blushing Chihiro returned in her robes, supplies in hand for polishing metal.

"Ji-chan, I'll be polishing Haku if I'm needed by anyone."

"Polishing Haku, eh? I didn't realize that miko provided those services, or that you were on a pet name basis with your kami."

Seeing Kumiro hard at work for the first time, Chihiro nearly dropped her stuff in surprise. She hadn't expected him to come so early to offer his services, as the busy season wasn't for another few weeks. Ryu, occupied in trimming a broken branch caused by yesterday's storm, was not going to be any help. BlowingWind, doing her best to steady the ladder he was on, wasn't going to help either, and both were laughing. Looking around, Koji had already disappeared for who knew where.

"It's not like that!"

"The kami of this Shrine is Nigihayami Kohakunushi as I remember. Haku is obviously a shortened version of his name, therefor you are using a pet name. You said yourself you were going to polish him."

"I meant his statue! You're as bad as the stories of your ancestor!"

"Maybe, but _you_ have a statue of him that requires silver polish."

Ryu couldn't resist to get in on the ribbing. Once he had gotten past the guy's attraction to the women in his life and watching him fail with other attempts, he was pretty fun to hang around with. At least he hadn't proposed to the girls again, and he didn't do anything else like the stories of his ancestor that the man had shared during their lunches and study sessions.

"And only Chihiro gets to touch him now. He only wants her hands all over him, and nobody else."

"You two are terrible!"

With that, Chihiro stomped off to polish Haku. Her beloved kami was probably going to hear a lot of incomprehensible muttering wherever he was, what with her being so close to one of his vessels, but she didn't care. She just wanted to get the job over with before they all decided to take a break and watch her. Giving a pointed glare over her shoulder, she slammed the door shut to the area where he was kept.

Laughter wafted in after her as the others went back to what they were doing.

"So why only Chihiro?"

"Kumiro, BlowingWind got to help the first time. She made a joke that he overheard though, and he didn't care for the joke."

"I couldn't help it Ryu! The look on her face was priceless. And she was in such denial!"

Kumiro was intrigued, and since his new master wasn't back yet . . .

"What did you ask?"

"If she liked 'polishing his scales.'"

"Genius! Not even I would have thought to ask that! What did she say?"

"She didn't. The statue shocked me, and I found him behind me growling."

Kumiro was a little disappointed. He had seen her turn down a lot of guys, and actually wanted to see her get together with someone. In his opinion, she could really use a few good dates. Ryu caught the disappointed look though.

"Her face was perfect, you could tell everything that was going through her mind. Come by tomorrow and we'll show you the 'Fluffy Moment Hall of Shame' while she's busy studying. Besides, BlowingWind has a certain area that she really doesn't want to polish anyway. One of these days, we're going to get pictures of Chihiro's expressions when she does that spot."

* * *

A young man sat primly at his desk, lost in depths of paperwork that had piled up over the course of the two days that he had been gone. Light was provided by a utilitarian and yet still elegant lamp, causing his white haori to resemble the snowdrifts on his father's mountain. Ebony hair sparkled with hints of blue and green with each tiny shift caused by the quill flying over the parchment. Suddenly, the seemingly ceaseless scratching came to an abrupt halt as the quill was laid to rest. 

A slender hand massaged his abused braincase while his mouth gaped and drew in an exhausted yawn. Kohakunushi usually didn't fall this far behind in his paperwork, but there had been an emergency near the mouth of his river. Some genius had decided that his river was a good place to dump some chemicals, and if he had not felt the intrusion and gotten there in time, then there were going to be some very sick people. Most of it was taken care of, only a little had been dumped. The idiot didn't manage to dump everything, as he started seeing hallucinations. Namely, a really big, really pissed off, and sexually deprived dragon.

Things always seemed worse than they were at this time of the month. Somehow, he intrinsically knew when she was fertile, and any little inconvenience put him in a very bad temper. It's safe to say, the polluter will never ever repeat his mistake. He still lived, but now everyone was probably going to think he was nuts. Still, taking out his frustration did nothing to solve the problem itself. How much longer was it until his promised three years was up again?

"This isn't getting me anywhere."

Finished with his self-massage, he glared at the papers. He was beginning to understand why Ten hated paperwork so much. As soon as you got something done, something else would literally pop up needing a spirit's attention.

"Master Haku, as a star in the hit animation, 'Spirited Away,' you are cordially invited to attend Anime-con? What is that? I haven't starred in anything."

This was shredded in his trusty paper-shredder and left in the paper recycle bin for servants to turn into pulp for new paper. Spirits, except Yubaba, had been doing this for hundreds of years now. Humans were a little slow, but they were getting there.

"Publisher's Clearing House? More American junk mail! What's this one?"

Opening the strange large brown envelope, Kohakunushi wondered why he was getting so much mail from America. When he pulled out the contents, he nearly fell out of his chair. Semi-clad women was not what he was expecting, and it only made his chief problem worse, putting him further into a bad mood..

"Who signed me up for _Playboy_?"

That one went into the fire, along with everything else addressed from America just to be safe. Now he really had some problems. The poor dragon sat on the floor near the fireplace, trying to get his thoughts away from what his bride to be would look like in some of that stuff. Kohakunushi had come to a very important conclusion. Don't open mail from America, no matter how innocent it looks, especially when suffering under the siren call of his favorite miko's fertile body.

He thought he was winning his internal battle, until he felt like someone was rubbing him vigorously. In fact, it was so fast and hard, that it hurt.

"Now what!"

Closing his eyes, he felt around for the disturbance, thinking that something else was going wrong with his precious waters. Opening his mind's eye, he gazed upon a rather familiar room. It was bare and simple, only a few key things filling it besides a particular statue, and one very disgruntled priestess scrubbing at imaginary tarnish.

'No wonder it hurts, it's the equivalent of scrubbing my scales off. O, she looks angry, smells like it too. I wonder how I could make her smile instead. Ack! No, bad thought, not going to finish that.'

"Can't believe them. Those hentai!"

The oddest thing about channeling oneself into an inanimate object, was that it remained inanimate. It took a lot of effort to move such an object, so it was just easier to sort of sit inside and watch. In other words, he didn't see much of her as she worked on his substitute body, just felt her polishing him if she was out of view, and heard her half articulated grumbles. This went on for quite a long time, in which he was scrubbed _all_ over . . . several times. It was very disconcerting, and he would have pulled out of the statue, except every time he got ready to disengage, she started muttering again, and it somehow always seemed to involve his name.

"My, my, you must really like polishing Lord Kohakunushi's scales. It's been two hours now, and Koji-sama asked me to fetch you for dinner before I go home."

The man in the doorway Kohaku didn't recognize, although it did look quite a bit like the man who had rescued one of his cousins about 500 years ago. The only thing different from the way she had described him was that this man had longer hair, no gauntlet, and was wearing the robes of his own Jinja.

'Great. They hired another one. Do they really get so busy that they have to hire another helper for me to keep track of?'

"It's not like that Kumiro."

"Sure, Chihiro. And my ancestor Miroku wasn't a lecherous Buddhist monk. Such denial, I heard your admissions about him out in the garden."

'Oh no. That guy's descendant? This is bad.'

"You pervert."

"I am not a pervert, but a romanticist and realist. You will notice that after the first proposition I have not asked you again, nor have I ever touched you in an inappropriate way. It's all in the name of friendship. You daydream at lunch too much, it's easy to tell that there is someone you think about, and it sure isn't any of the guys you send away with the ketchup."

"So what makes you think I think about him? How long are you helping out by the way?"

"Oh, only the dragons that you doodled in your math notes with the little cutsey hearts. I guess you didn't hear the news. I'm the second apprentice aka 'the guy who does the jobs nobody wants . . . like the plumbing.'. Your grandfather said that you would need a masculine balance in your caterings to the kami. Besides, with everything else on your plate, you'll be needing long-term help."

"Thanks."

Chihiro was blushing furiously as she moved around to the front, to clean a spot under the chin of the statue that she had somehow missed. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but she felt a little bit more of a presence in the room than she usually felt. This she just chalked up to being so embarrassed though. Back in his office, Haku was purring in pleasure at the sensation of his chin being rubbed, since she was doing it a lot gentler now. This was nice, but it had been so long since he had felt her touch, his mind quickly went another direction with this sensory input.

Kumiro had seen the intelligence staring through the twin emeralds that had been set in the statue's eyes, but decided not to tell Chihiro that the kami they served had heard the whole conversation and was currently enjoying his chin rub. BlowingWind and Ryu, after he had wheedled out what kind of dragon he was, had filled Kumiro in on the lowdown between the kami and his miko. Knowing Chihiro and her denial, she would just get even more flustered, not good before a meal.

"Chihiro, he's clean. You can stop scrubbing now. Let's go eat."

'No she can't. She can eat in here. I've had a terrible day! For once I want to be pampered. Now if he would only go check on the plumbing.'

"What? OH! Right."

Chihiro stopped rubbing where she had been cleaning, noticing that the whole statue was gleaming abnormally brightly, like it was new. Somehow though, it seemed to be requiring more.

"Stop petting the poor guy! He probably feels rather molested. I'll bet he was doing something important when you started that."

'No I don't. I would much rather be petted than discovering dirty magazines in the mail.'

Kumiro stifled a snort, having been able to identify what the look in the statue's eyes was. As the maiden left the room after a few good sputters, he turned to where he could sense his new lord. As a new servant to this spirit, exchanging his services for protection and blessings in the old manner, it was only right to have a word.

"So, I hear that Chihiro's off limits. I have orders from Koji not to let you spend too long alone with her until 'the big day.' This included in here with your statue. You owe me, and I want a question answered. What is it with dragons and virgins?"

The statue let out an exasperated sigh, and moved it's hand to his head. Statue or not, his headache was back, and he was still no closer to the end of his problem. There had better be a good reason that this guy was chosen to complement his precious Chihiro, or he and the spirit of Destiny were going to have a nice 'talk.'


	31. Kohaku\'s Competition, Or Kumiro\'s Thre...

Courting the River Maid Collection

Kohaku's Competition, or Kumiro's Threat

Rain does not own Spirited Away, Chihiro, or Haku.

* * *

Amethysts sparkled in the light of the sun as they watched the woman perform her duties. She had no idea just what happened when she went into that shrine. There was something almost sexual in the way that the water surrounded her. Almost. The kami always seemed to hold himself back a bit. 

It frustrated the young shrine keeper to no end. If he was going to court her, he should at least finalize it. She had already accepted his overtures now for what, the 70th time since he had started working here? If they didn't hurry up, he would strip her down and toss her into the river himself. See if the blasted dragon could hold himself back then! Or maybe he should stake her out spread eagled just barely inside, so that her upper half was supported by his bank.

No, that wouldn't work either. It was funny, Kumiro had always thought that dragons just took whatever they wanted.

Did Chihiro even know that she was dating him? Probably not, BlowingWind said that she was pretty stubborn about belonging to herself. No matter how many times they tried to tell her that the relationship had progressed further than she allowed herself to think.

Damn, she was stubborn. What? Was she wearing an anti-fertility charm to ward him off or something?

Now, Kumiro wasn't a pervert like his ancestor. He had his share of dirty thoughts, like any healthy male, and yes, he did love to chase skirts. He never impuned a lady's honor though.

That said, he still thought Chihiro needed a good lay.

As she came back out, that slightly dazed expression on her face that told him she had been in a trance yet again, he pretended to rake where he was. She didn't notice of course, just held a hand to her lips in thought. Rather swollen lips, he hadn't known that river water could produce that effect. The funny little sigh that escaped her as she shook whatever was running rampant in her head away broke his heart though. Did she have any clue where she really stood with the river? Or did she think that whatever it was happened to merely be a fantasy.

What he had seen was definitely no fantasy. This is when he had his great idea.

When he was a little kid, his favorite uncle had given him a little gold dragon figurine to keep in his pocket. He said it would bring him luck, and to be fair, she really had,except when it came to finding a girlfriend.

She apparently had no magic in that area.

"Well, little onna, wish me luck, because I'm probably going to be slaughtered."

Taking a deep breath, he entered the dragon's den.

"My Lord?"

Well, not being thrown out by a blast of water was a good sign. He knew the presence was still here, the heaviness of dragon was all over the room.

"Are you ok?"

There was a little ripple in the bowl of water. Kumiro quickly paced to it, in order to explore the phenomena better. After all, he was so very lucky to work at a shrine where the kami did not avoid his servants. At most shrines these days, the kami refused to let the attendants see or sense them, angry that the standards for their servants had been relaxed, or just plain annoyed with humankind in general.

The strained face in the water almost made him feel sorry for the spirit. Almost. Kumiro wanted to know if the lord was merely toying with his friend. If he was, and only was attracted to her body, Kumiro didn't care about defiance, he'd tear the spirit into five pieces and bury each piece on a different island.

"What do you want now Kumiro? I am . . . busy."

"You look it. Kohakunushi-sama, what are your intentions toward Chihiro?"

Judging by the size of the sigh, Nushi had been wondering how much longer it would be before the question came up. The two had had several talks as they got to know each other, especially when Kumiro would fill in for Chihiro. Each time that Kumiro had channeled the blessings, there had been an odd mix of relief and frustration.

"They started as honorable."

"Started? This ought to be good. Oh, I get it! You never told her that you were taking her as a mate! When it comes to her, you need to be direct, but not too direct. Maybe you should make sure that she doesn't think your blessings are a fantasy of her over-stressed mind."

"Hentai."

"Look who's feeling her up using river water as a medium. Without her full knowledge at that while she is in a trance."

There was no good comeback for that one. Haku really needed to be more firm with his shrine attendants. One of these days, it would come back to bite him in his scaly tail. No way was he going to discuss this with the pervert. Heck, he couldn't even bring himself to talk about it with Ten or Ryu, how could a human expect to understand his problem?

"They still are honorable, just more focused than before."

Kumiro knew when he was being shut out.

"If you say so, but you'd better try a little harder to get across whatever you are trying to hint at to her. Make it more obvious, or I'll start courting her. I think I might have a chance if she gets free of whatever fascination you've put her under."

Haku had not messed with her mind in any way, at least not intentionally or to his knowledge. It wasn't his fault that she got lost every time she looked him in the eye. It was possible for him to hypnotize her, but the reactions her body gave were all her own.

"I have put her under no fascination."

"You're just jealous because I get to hold her this year since you have that meeting to attend too close to your matsuri. Here, you can date this little onna instead if I get Chihiro in the sack first."

Kumiro really had no intention of getting her in the sack, or even trying to date her, he just said that because he knew it would piss the kami off. He would much rather see Chihiro get what he knew she was wanting. The little dragon statue, yanked out of her warm and cozy den in his pocket, seemed to be frozen in an expression of horror. The little spirit in the ancient heirloom really was quite content with things just as they were, and the statue she found herself presented to was huge! There was no way that would work out!

The expression was mirrored by the man in the water. He could not fathom even entertaining such thoughts about anyone other than his little treasure. Besides, the dragon spirit now brought to his expression was still a juvenile. The waters splashed back onto the large statue concentrating the kami's essence a little more.

The statue began to move. Kumiro had never seen such a thing. He didn't see it for long though. Instead, he found himself sailing through the air. The young priest should have been watching the tail. The poor guy could only lay where he fell, too stunned to notice the tromping of one now very animated statue as it moved across the floor.

"Keep your hands off of my Chihiro! Even though the two of you will follow tradition now set down, the two of you will sit on either side of me. And do not ever suggest that I court a baby again!"

Koji had also been working in the garden, and having spied Kumiro go in, presumably to have a word with the kami, he had decided to move a little closer in case he needed to provide any first aid. Apparently, it was a good thing, and the loud stomping from the little shrine had brought him running in time to hear the spirit's decree, and to witness the bashing that the highly distressed dragon gave before it settled back on its usual perch.

Whatever Kumiro had said, it had pissed Kohaku off enough to fully enter the statue and move it around. Shaking his head, Koji did his best to get the young priest out before he woke and did any other stupid stuff.

"You just never learn Kumiro."

* * *

Back in his chambers, Kohakunushi collapsed onto his futon. He was absolutely exhausted after the blessing ritual, and then throwing inwhalloping Kumiro with an inanimate object had pretty much finished him off. 

He wasn't being too subtle was he? After all, he had never courted anyone before, and hadn't really paid all that much attention to how it was done. He'd had The Talk, and he had his instincts. Human courting wasn't all that different, right? Sure, there were extra steps, but they matched up fairly closely he thought.

They had dated, three times if his count was correct, or at least he thought those had been dates. He had told her to be his, and certainly gave her plenty of gifts.

There was even an arranged marriage agreement regarding Chihiro. He and Koji had worked out the details shortly before he left. Koji, as her grandfather and head of her family, was supposed to discuss this with her, to prepare her for when the time came.

He had done so, right? Of course he had, that was a silly thought. Koji always carried out his duties to kami, shrine and family to perfection. So why did he have this feeling like in a few months he would be getting a very nasty surprise?

* * *

Please note that even though it was common to hold a deity in high regard, there were times when their images would be threatened with various indignities to get lazy gods off their butts. That was my inspiration here. 


	32. Snow

Courting the River Maid Collection

Snow

I've been dying to write this one. The plot is mine, but Spirited Away and crew are not.

Revised under the influence of KatsyKat. The boo-boos and talk with Tatsu were her suggestions. So I ran with them as best I could.

Accompanying music: The Dragon Boy for scene one fading into The Stink Spirit at the entrance of the parents, tracks 5 and 12; and It's Hard Work for scene two, track 11; scene three may be enjoyed to The Bottomless Pit, track14, all from the Spirited Away soundtrack.

* * *

The wind was dry and frigid so far up the mountain, causing the young dragons' noses to sting a bit, but the view was certainly worth the long climb and uncomfortable conditions for the two young water dragons. The forests spread out around the base of the towering mountain like a Hime's skirt, and small ribbons of blue could be seen twisting and turning on their individual routes through the embracing earth. 

Sunlight glinted off of pearly white scale and dark bronze alike, dancing while the two friends gazed downward with eager eyes at the expanse of fresh white below them. Emerald and tiger's eye sparkled with mischief, and then with a great cry, the fifty year olds threw themselves to slide on scaly bellies down the slopes. Carefully holding their legs tightly to their sides so they would not be broken, this dynamic duo formed streaks of bronze and earth and pearl and teal through the once peaceful field.

As the thrill seeking pair of draclings swooped down the mountain, they encountered a precipice and were airborne for a moment, letting gravity work its magic to reunite them with the mountain once more. What they had not taken into account however, was that this section was due anytime for a shedding avalanche.

Whooping in delight as they surfed the frozen wave of water careening down the mountain, they paid no attention to the steadily approaching treeline, having far too much fun in this new entertainment they had created. The pair did their best to outdo each other with the complexity of their tricks and in their feats of bravery.

It all came to an end with parallel impacts into trees and rocks, halting their frolicking in one painful splat and the avalanche roared down around them, burying the pair in the deep frozen river. After a while, the current stilled, and they hollowed out a bit of space around them while they figured out which way was up.

"Ouch."

"Crashes tend to hurt Ten."

"Oh, like you feel any better than I do Kohaku. Or should I say 'Ko-kun?'"

"Don't call me that 'Oshii-bou!'

"Fine then, 'Nushi.' Which way is up, oh 'fierce' river master?"

While the two friends had been bickering, young Kohaku had actually figured out which way was up. It was simple really. All the scales that had been rubbed off were deposited on one side of their little hollow. Logically, the other way was they way they wanted to go.

"That way, oh 'generous' spring god."

And so, the two dug their way to the top, easily swimming through the snow even though parts of it had been rather compacted. They were strong after all, and water was their element, even if it was a bit colder and more solid than they were used to. After a few minutes, two elongated snouts poked above the crust, breathing circulating air once more. After a moment, the pair surged out, shaking stray flakes from their manes. When they were done, they were met with four pairs of eyes.

Four pairs of very displeased eyes.

One pup was whisked up by the scruff of his neck by a flurry of stormy scales and grassy weeds that was possessed of two deep-sea eyes to be scolded by a blizzard of white scale and golden rays possessed of normally emerald eyes that were now steely grey. The other pup was whisked up in similar manner by nearly identical surges of bronze and brown with tiger's eye for eyes. The males of the mated pairs boomed their reprimands, to be echoed off of precipices above.

"Nigihayami Kohakunushi, what on earth possessed you to do such a dangerous thing when I clearly told you the mountain would avalanche any day!"

"Izumi Ten, how many times do I have to tell you no sliding when the mountain lord has given an avalanche warning! You're lucky he doesn't freeze your spring after that stunt!"

The disobedient dragons hung suspended from their mother's mouths like dejected drapings of draclings that they were. They hadn't thought that they would actually get caught. They just wanted to have a little fun, was that so bad?

Apparently it was.

"We are going to teach you presumptuous pups a little lesson in obedience."

Uh-oh, coming from an irate Tatsu, that wasn't good.

"Otou-sama! We'll be good! We won't do it again!"

"Gomen gozimasu Nigihayami-sama! Gomen!"

With that, the mothers thrust their precious pups back into their little burrow, much to the displeasure of their draclings. Nigihayami Tatsu and Izumi Jurei watched their mates imprison their offspring. It pained them to do it, but it was time for the children to learn that there were always consequences for their actions. After all, these two would be the lords of their domains one day, and needed to learn self-restraint.

Izumi Tsuchi and Nigihayami Nyuuhakushoku backed away from the opening, allowing the snow and mountain lord of their combined domains cause ice to form bars over the opening. There was plenty of space for air, and for prey to be dropped down to the youths, but magic would prevent the devious duo from escape until the sun melted the bars. That should give them long enough to think about their actions. Without another word, the parents left their children behind to learn their lesson.

"This is all your fault Ten. It was your idea."

"You didn't stop me."

"I was doing fairly well until you dared me."

"Your point?"

* * *

Nine hundred fifty years later, give or take a couple centuries or so . . . 

A pair of blue and grey eyes each looked at the wonderland below the tips of their snowboards. BlowingWind and Chihiro were at the top of the slope that the mountain kami of the area had said was safe to use. For some reason, he had begun laughing after they had worked up the courage to go ask Tatsu.

Tatsu was a strange dragon, but certainly was nice to visit, and this distracted Chihiro from missing her own kami too much. Besides, there was no image as amusing as Chihiro snowboarding. She was pretty good, it was just she looked so funny when you were used to seeing her in Shrine garb all the time. Snowboarding gear was just a tad incongruous with her whole image.

With a whoop, the two best friends began to hurtle down the incline, weaving amongst the trees. Secreted away, the miko's future father-in-law watched the pair play, remembering when his son had once done the same thing, except for having the funny board strapped to his feet. Suddenly though, they were distracted by the cry of some random predator claiming its prey.

Looking the way the sound had come from, the two managed to tumble down into the bottom of a tree-well, feet over their heads.

"Ow."

"Yeah."

"Out?"

"Out."

"Dizzy?"

"Yup."

"How are we getting out Chi? It's pretty deep."

"Would you maidens be in need of assistance?"

A pair of laughing emeralds was looking down on them. They were so familiar, but careful inspection would tell the difference, the weight of time creating a sad look that was often mirrored in those of his son.

"Yes please Tatsu-sama."

The girls happily chorused their answer, glad that they wouldn't be trapped until they could struggle up on their own.

A surge of the snow underneath the young maidens, and they landed unceremoniously before him. They were out of the well though, and even seemed to have been thrilled by the quick ride through the air.

Oh to be young again.

"You know, both of you remind me very much of Kohakunushi and Ten when they were young. Their manner of stopping was the same as well, except that it also usually involved getting buried in an avalanche.."

"They snowboarded? I thought that was just a recent thing."

"No, Chihiro. It wasn't snowboarding. They called it belly riding. I called it a public safety threat."

He could see the humans and their imaginations running wild with this tidbit. Despite what the young dragons had said, the very next winter had found them doing the very same thing. He hadn't minded their need for adventure, he had just been terrified that an avalanche would kill them one day.

Now he was getting his revenge. Modern day humans had their 'baby boxes,' old dragons like him had stories. Since the girls were interested, they got the whole scoop.

"Kohaku? I can picture Ten doing that, but Kohaku? He had a fit when Chihiro was climbing a tree after some fruit, absolutely convinced that she would fall and break a leg. And when Chihiro was going to dive into the spring when we were still clearing it, I was almost positive that he was going to tie her up until she changed her mind."

"Oh, when he was young, he was quite the trouble maker. Before he started calming down, my mountain would have at least 30 avalanches between those two. They were always sneaking off, especially when I told them not to. I am so glad that you two asked permission first."

"He would sneak off! I get reprimanded for eating junk food and he used to sneak off!"

"Yes. In fact, it was right over there where we usually would bury them for their stunts."

The girls followed the mountain lord's gesture to see a large rock with a very big dragon-shaped dent in it. Beside it was an old tree that had been bent, and so grew into the odd shape it had one day found itself in.

Both girls couldn't help the winces. Just how long had those been mangled?

"I'm afraid to ask. . ."

"Who did what?"

"Ten hit the rock, my son abused the tree."

BlowingWind promptly turned around and surveyed the damage that she had done to the truck of the tree they had found. It wasn't much, just a little scraping of the bark. She had sprained her wrist too, but it wasn't too bad. She had been hurt worse when she was on her snowboard team in highschool. It was nothing compared to the damage the world's most uptight dragon and fun-loving sidekick had done, and certainly not as much as those two must have suffered with that crash.

Chihiro snickered at the mental image of her very proper dragon in a position like that and looked down at her hands, which were red from the cold, as she had scratched them when trying to grab on to anything to keep her from falling in the hole. Her gloves had already gotten soaked with how many times they had been going up and down today, and had been hung from her zipper to dry.

"I can just imagine the conversation they must have had."

"It sounded surprisingly like the one the two of you had."

The three laughed together, sharing in the humor of how much the humans were like the thousand year old dragons. When they stopped, they noted the position of the sun sadly.

"We need to go Tatsu-sama. Thank you, we highly enjoyed the use of your slopes."

"Think nothing of it young miko. I enjoyed the company."

"Really? Can we come again?"

BlowingWind missed snowboarding several times a week. For Tatsu, it was like looking at a much younger and very much female Ten. Judging by the nervous look that Chihiro wore though, he didn't think that her own kami had been advised of their excursion. Actually, he doubted it highly that either Kohakunushi or Ryu had been advised.

"Of course BlowingWind, this old dragon would welcome any company from such lovely young maidens."

As he watched the pair ride their fiberglass contraptions down the rest of his snow covered mountain, he felt a pang of loneliness. He really was old, and it would be nice to hear the squeaks of a pup again.

Then again, he didn't really miss the days of swimming through the stilled avalanches searching for two-foot long draclings either, much less two of them. It hadn't been any easier when they had reached six feet in length either. They just swam away. The four of them had been lucky to catch them that day.

Should he have warned his future daughter-in-law just what she was getting into by agreeing to belong to his son? He could just imagine the poor girl dragging behind one as she tried to keep it from going belly sliding.

* * *

Ryu was not so happy that they had not been where he had expected them to be. Poor Ten had been trying to cover for them. Unfortunately, that was the key word in that sentence. _Try_. 

Ryu had gone to the spring, expecting that to be where they had gone when they said they needed to go play. When they had not been there, the spring spirit had found himself accosted shortly before sundown. Thinking quickly, he almost regretted having told the pair where they could go for free snowboarding. However, he did have an ace in the hole.

"I don't know! Ask Kohaku! Maybe they told him."

There was no way he was going to tell Ryu they had gone snowboarding. There hadn't been any avalanche warnings, but he was so darned overprotective. It was no wonder the humans had snuck out. Truthfully, he didn't know where they were, just somewhere on the mountain if they had gotten permission from Tatsu.

Ryu had taken him up on the idea though. So now there was a very pissed off volcano dragon and a water dragon puppet trying to shove Ten in the stand-alone freezer. Kohakunushi's reasoning was "He's Ten. He knows something."

Some friends. Maybe he should have gone with them after all. No, he had to go all noble and offer to keep Ryu off the girls' tails.

Such was the scene the girls had walked into while peeling off sodden clothes and leaning the snowboards against the walls. They had been laughing too hard to hear the males' yells from the storage shed nearest to the house where they hung wet things to dry and where they stored their snow toys. Their laughter died as soon as they turned enough to see the tangled trio.

"Just where were to two of you, hmm? 'Ladies day out my claws!'"

Neither of the girls so much as batted an eye at Ryu's outburst. They were very used to it, although it had been getting worse lately. As time passed, he seemed to become convinced something would attack them at any moment he could not see them.

"Run!"

Kohaku was very like his father, and Ten could just see him grounding Chihiro for the whole winter. Sure, he wouldn't freeze her beneath the snow like his dad had done to them when they were pups, but he could probably think of something more human appropriate. Chihiro didn't take the hint though, nor did BlowingWind.

"Why? We didn't do anything wrong. We checked, and there were no avalanche warnings, and we had permission too."

As the water puppet and volcano dragon dropped Ten, he could smell something was going to happen. Ten had a nose for trouble, and there was definitely trouble in the air. There was so much trouble, that he couldn't smell trouble for trouble and it was just too much trouble for a trouble-maker to deal with. In essence, he might as well turn into a puddle of water and slink away. The problem was it was the middle of winter, and he would just freeze.

Haku, projecting a visible and somewhat solid puppet of himself, crossed his arms and scowled at his priestess, who just stood there and looked at him curiously, her head cocked to one side. She looked a little like a dragon pup in that pose, and the wide innocent eyes held just enough laughter to make him suspect that she would not easily give up where she had been.

What on earth was she wearing though? It was not like anything he could remember seeing.

"We were playing in the snow. It's something called having fun. Maybe you've heard of it? Or are you just jealous that I took Chihiro instead of you?"

BlowingWind had let him have it. No way was she going to let Ryu push her around. When she had free time, if she wanted to go snowboard, then she was going to go snowboard. She did, however, keep her wrist hidden from him. He had this curious ability to tell if she was hurt by looking at the body part injured.

Haku was still scowling at Chihiro, knowing very well how to get her to crack. After all, he had watched her mother do this with her countless times. How hard could it be?

"Besides, it's not like we were out causing avalanches. Right, Chi?"

Catching on, Chihiro replied as she went back to hanging up her wet outer clothing and doing her best to ignore Haku's scowl. This produced an interesting effect on Haku, who was watching her remove the strange garb with great interest and horror. After all, surely it wasn't decent to undress in front of someone, no matter how wet and uncomfortable she had to be.

"Right. We did see some interesting things with Tatsu-sama though, and he told some very amusing tales."

You could see that Haku was very disturbed by that. Puppets don't usually show differences in skin tone, but you could see him go white. There were any number of things that his father could have either shown or told his Chihiro that he would rather not have her know. Especially his winter hobby when he was a pup, that knowledge would only encourage her reckless behavior.

The girls had now finished stowing their gear, and were heading for the door that connected the storage shed to the house itself, walking calmly past the three kami. As BlowingWind went to turn the handle, she forgot about having hurt her wrist, and so used the wrong one. It was an easy thing to do, since she was always getting herself banged up, she was just so physical.

"Ow! Forgot!"

"Ah ha! I knew it! You hurt yourself!"

"For Heaven's sake! It's just a sprain!"

"Let me see."

"NO!"

BlowingWind managed to get through the door with her dragon on her heels. Chihiro wasn't so lucky though, he'd caught a glimpse of her hands and decided he needed a closer look. Haku's projection had caught her, rightly assuming that if BlowingWind had hurt herself, then that meant Chihiro had done something too.

Chihiro thought it very unfair that he could still catch her, even when the real him was Kami only knew where. Naturally, she struggled, not wanting to give in easily. Her struggles did not please her kami, resulting in her being held firmly against his chest after he had turned her around to glare into her eyes.

"That mountain is dangerous."

"Only when you don't listen to your father."

Ten had been forgotten until now. His uproarious laughter was what drew the spotlight back to him once more.

"You mean he is still telling those horror stories of us as kids?"

* * *

Oshii - precious 

Bou - baby

Jurei - life

Tsuchi - a word for earth

Rain's Replies

Ninety nine reviews and counting, thanks everyone!

Jojo - There is a reason why Koji gave such a long span, which we will see in the next chapter. Although he is a good procrastinator. As to Kohaku, he has his honor to uphold. How bad would it look to other spirits (and himself) if he took a maiden only to find that she wasn't what you could call ready? If he wasn't so worried about her, he no doubt would have gone with the flow.

Jaded image - Haku wants to seduce Chihiro. It's that darn Nigimitama and his archaic sense of honor :cough: Nushi :cough:. Besides, what do you think goes on with all of those 'blessings' later on.

Monchi - Chihiro doesn't find out until three years later. That is in 'Rivers Keep Flowing' chapter 6, entitled 'I'm What! No Way!' The blame all falls on Koji. To find out why BlowingWind smells like dragon, even as a kid, that will eventually be revealed in that same story. But it's certainly not because she has even a drop of dragon blood. Patience, The Cheese will return! I may use your ideas, so I will definitely credit you when they come up!

Black Hands - Thanks

Alaina - :Looks around: What happened? (BlowingWind - should I tell her?)

NitenGale - glad you liked that.

Shiro Ryu - Pst! Nothing is ever finished. No, nothing published yet except one poem. I'm still tinkering with a manuscript for a novel though. I like your 'How To Tell If You're a Writer.'

Neech - Chihiro is actually Koji's granddaughter. Koji is still mad at his son for helping fill the river in the first place, even though he also helped dig it back out. Her parents were a bit distant from her, even though they love her very much. But that is literally a different story!

Black Hands - Glad that you enjoyed 'Promise to Protect and Provide.'

Next story . . . Koji's Dilemma!


	33. Lust, Purity, and Vengeance

Courting the River Maid Collection

Lust, Purity, and Vengeance

Do not own Spirited Away.

Edited to correct a date. I was a decade off.

* * *

Kohakunushi had left the Jinja weeks upon weeks ago, and Koji still had not had the bravery to tell his highly independent granddaughter that she was betrothed at the 'tender' age of 19 . . . ok so she was over twenty now. Fine, so there had been two of the annual matsuris that had slipped quietly by. There had been several opportunities, but he just hadn't taken them. Why? The answer was simple, she had been in a bad mood nearly every time. 

Very bad moods. This was even with she and BlowingWind having gone to the store for her Midol. Chihiro must have had a lot to purge with her monthlies. What was she doing, soaking up the impurities of the shrine-goers and taking them to Kohaku herself?

Now, why would she be in a bad mood? She had regained memories of a certain three week period of her life that had been missing before, had a promise kept, and even been successfully involved with returning a river to its proper glory!

That answer was also simple. It went by the name of Queso, who had been bothering her for a date even more earnestly than usual. He came every day, usually in the morning, and she would be irritable all day after. In fact, right now he was visiting the Shrine to pay his respects. In other words, he was harassing Chihiro, or what he _thought_ was wooing. Koji looked up from his task of procrastinating and raking sand in the rock garden, and watched the show.

* * *

Grey eyes smiled as they came out of the inner shrine where the statue of Kohakunushi in his proper form was kept. Several quiver of hamaya, or holy arrows, were in her arms, each full of the evil destroying missiles. Her grandfather had insisted that she go through the blessing ceremony to have many ready and on hand, not only for the people seeking them as talismans for warding their homes, but for her use as well. 

What was she supposed to use them for? It wasn't like there were evil youkai surrounding her and waiting for an unguarded moment to whisk her away and ravish her. No way was she that pretty. Actually, she felt sort of plain. She was just an ordinary girl, living life in an unordinary way.

Very unordinary, water seemed to really like her. While chanting, she could have sworn she had seen the water from the bowl reach for her, again. That was silly though, this was the 2000's, for a little longer anyway. What was time after all? At any rate, she wasn't all that special. As much as Ji-san had been fussing over keeping her safe, you would have thought that she guarded some powerful and precious thing, like that Miko in the stories of the Shikon no Tama.

She was just guarding a Celestial Pearl for crying out loud, and the only way that she could give it to Kohakunushi was if he took it. In a healthful exercise that was supposed to solve his shyness problem at that. It was confusing though, she hadn't noticed he had a problem with being shy. Withdrawn and secretive for unforseen reasons at times, but certainly not shy. After all, shy people don't kiss like he did.

Bad thought. Back that train up, they were just confused at the time, shaken up after everything that had happened. It was stress relief, stress screws with anyone's head, making them do things they normally wouldn't. Like fall in love, which was just a waste of time. Time would sort everything out, and things would be the way they had always meant to be.

'It's been over two years, and I still am thinking about that. What happened to me?'

After all, he had a whole river, and by extension of the uses of his water, a countryside to take care of. Far too much to do instead of spending time doing whatever one does when in love. The kitsune had been wrong, it was a joke, never listen to kitsune. And as far as things went with herself, she didn't have time either. There was school to finish, her Shrine duties, and then she was going to set up as an environmental consultant as well, maybe get a job with Good Fortune since they wanted to keep their environmental impact low. She had no time for mooning over silly things.

Silly things included what would happen when she achieved her goals, or like how he smelled of sweet running water, or tasted like a cool spring, or how gentle his touch was, or how soft his tongue . . .

"NNNNNNNNNNN."

Unnoticed by the frustrated Miko, a little lust demon burned into ash, the arrows reacting to the presence trying to invade the Heart of the River.

'Must keep thoughts pure. That was certainly not pure. Proper Miko do not daydream about _that_ while attending their duty. Bad Chihiro.'

Now, while her thoughts had been slipping into areas that will not be discussed, she had nearly dropped a few quivers of the arrowsas her mind wandered in the forests of fantasy. A very familiar voice pulled her eyes in an outward focus again, and she nearly screamed at what she saw.

Was it an evil lust demon come to torment her already hormone driven mind that was still addled from the last kiss that the ravaging river had given her so long ago? Was it a dog come to chew on her leg, which could be really bad as for some reason she just never trusted dogs all that much? Was it the headmaster of her college come to inform her she would need to retake Statistics One and so wouldn't be graduating this year after all? No, although maybe any of the above would have been better.

It was Queso, in a skin tight black leather suit, looking like some depraved Swedish Rocker. Not to say anything bad about Swedish rock or pop, some of it that BlowingWind had made her listen to was actually rather nice. However, Queso in a black leather cat suit, no matter how nicely his body was formed, was not something she wanted to see, EVER! Besides, now she wondered what Haku would look like in that, and it just really disturbed her that she could think like that at all.

It was not a proper thought while attending her duties. She was amiko, miko didn't think about jumping their kami. Right? Besides, sex was bad, there were diseases, and babies . . . Well, he probably didn't have any diseases, but a baby at this time in her life would be very bad. Speaking of bad . . .

"Your arms look pretty full there, would you like some help?"

"No thanks. I- I've got it!"

Chihiro was now looking anywhere but at the daringly dressed Cheese, embarrassed that the man was so desperate to grab her attention. Needless to say, because of the naughty visions running through her head about a certain river kami, she was more than a little pink. You probably could have fried an egg on her face, she was that fired up. Why was she fantasizing what Haku would look like? Where were these things coming from?

Bad miko.

As one lust demon fizzled to blow away, another one jumped off of the lusty Spaniard onto the pure Miko. Lust demons just loved to try to corrupt holy persons, and this one had experienced something only a few days ago that left her WIDE open to their attack if she didn't watch her thoughts.

After all, even though the spirit obviously had a claim on her, they were not mated.

"If you are sure. You know, you've been working really hard lately with the whole river restoration project, and now tending the Shrine and getting it all stocked up and all. I was thinking that maybe tonight you would go with me to the club, and I could show you a _good time_?"

Chihiro's defenses, already up against the foreigner that had already hit on her more times than she cared to count, sprang into overdrive. How many times did she have to say no? It was like he was obsessed or something, and that really creeped her out. This was precisely the reason she never wanted to date, guys like him. He was so bad he made Bill Clinton, that impeached American President, look innocent. And if she didn't want to date, then you could forget about the next step. Just thinking of how slimy that surely had to be made her more than content to remain virgin forever. She just hated slime.

Especially when it walked on two legs in a black leather cat suit. It was just wrong. She would have to purify the grounds later.

"No, I'm busy tonight. Account books don't check themselves, and there is training tonight as well."

No way was she going to tell him that the only thing she really planned on doing was washing her hair. She would rather Haku see her naked. Wait, he'd spent a lot of time with her when she was little, and that stripping out of her clothes stage had coincided with when she was three. Crud! He had probably seen her chubby baby bottom. That was worse than the 'Baby Box' mom kept for when she would manage to corner whatever unlucky guy became her boyfriend.

Right, like she was ever going to let herself get one of those.

Well, Haku had kissed her and . . . No! He had noticed she had a problem, and merely fixed it for her, understanding how her hormones were controlling her weak human body. It was a time of high emotions, and dragons could be very emotional creatures, and probably reacted to hormones instinctively.

That didn't help much either.

He had been like a second father when she was little. That thought fixed her problem.

As she continued on, it was her misfortune that her foot found a rock. The imps that were infesting the sinful man had figured out that a direct attack was not going to work on one who was desperate to keep her mind out of thoughts of men not her rightful husband. There was a claim on her, but since it was not a full claim, even thoughts of that dragon could be used if her guard was down, which it obviously was not.

The rock rolled under her foot and purifying arrows flew through the air in a wild spray, just as the evil creatures had planned. Without them in her arms, perhaps the protection of her kami would be less potent, and the Spaniard could succeed in his seduction. Said clueless idiot saw nothing of the little imps that had for some odd reason chosen him as their host, only saw the lost charms and the falling miko. Moving quickly behind her, she was caught up in his arms and stopped her locomotion with his body, saving her from bruising her beautiful bottom on the ground.

Chihiro would have rather eaten the dirt. She felt something that she really didn't want to know about. It made her feel cheap and dirty, and if she had any suspicions as to his earlier intentions, she certainly did not now. There was definitely something there that had not been seen before.

Queso couldn't believe that she had finally fallen into his arms. He was positive that he had just died and gone to heaven. As a result, he had a particular bodily reaction. He couldn't help it, it just . . . had a mind of its own at times.

"Get off of me!"

Bolting up off of her captor, she whirled around to slap him hard across the face several times, snarling all the while. Her movements were swift and supple, and as her arms streaked left and right, the billows of her sleeves had never resembled an enraged crane's wings more than this moment. Once she was done slapping the brute, she dropped down below the guard that he had finally put up, to deliver a swift uppercut to the reason for her rage.

"Hentai!"

As Queso fell over in agony, Chihiro helped him by grabbing his feet and yanking as she stood up, placing him on his back. When in a fight, on your back with your feet in enemy control is not a good place to be, especially if your opponent happens to be a girl.

"Pervert!"

Driving the geta that she was wearing deep, one could say that she was playing soccer almost. That was only if you were actually trying to pop the soccer ball though.

"I am not available for that! I'm not available at all! Ever! Especially not with you! Sicko!"

Each sentence had been punctuated with a fresh kick. It was a most painful experience, one that would lead most men to believe that no actually really meant no, or at least the ones who were worth something. However, this was Queso, the guy that shamed the wholemale sex with his stereotypical antics and his tenaciousness would be admired if it were directed to a more suitable outlet, like not wearing hideous clubwear.

"So what about next week?"

"NO!"

This time, Chihiro left her shoeprint on his face, knocking him out thankfully enough. Storming off, poor Chihiro felt so defiled that she didn't even dare touch the arrows, fearful that she would spoil all the hard work. Instead, she went directly for the river and a little waterfall that had inexplicably formed upstream over the past couple weeks. Nobody knew why the river was reforming itself to old features so quickly, but she was positive that it had something to do with Kohaku. At any rate, the natural cover around it and the nearby location made it perfect for solitary misogi, and after that, she really needed the purification.

As she muttered her way along, forest animals steered clear of her, wondering what had set the future bride of the river off. Rumor traveled swiftly, and already there had been word of an unwelcome suitor trying to steal her away with sinful displays. At last, she reached the waterfall, which had actually been formed for this very sacred purpose by the thoughtful river lord, and a little magic that changed the terrain sufficiently. In relief, she stripped down to her white under kimono and began the ancient ritual, leaving the cotton hakama and haori to soak in the shallows. The river would wash all impurities into the deep sea to break down and become pure.

Back down river, while Koji phoned the ambulance, he decided to tell her the marvelous news that he had later. Much later, when she had calmed down. After Queso's display though, it may take a few months. Few things worked her into a tizzy like that did . . .

Except maybe that he had decided her future for her, and decided who she was going to marry. He still didn't think that she would mind who it was, but in her current mood, she was sure to receive the news of the arranged marriage in a less than happy mood. He had threatened to choose her a husband several times before after all when she would show no interest in any of the nice boys that had come to him asking permission to date her.

Yes, definitely later.

* * *

Kohakunushi flowed blissfully along with the water, slowly changing his course to suit his personality. Chihiro had gotten it right, but there were still the signatures that had to be put in that would make the river unique. Humans could only do so much after all. 

Suddenly, he felt a great wave of distress sweep through him. Somehow, his precious maiden was experiencing something terrible. How could that have happened? He had only diverted his attention away from her for five minutes! She had been fine then, and there was nothing around to bring this feeling. Just as suddenly, it turned into revulsion, and the poor kami was left quite confused. He had never experienced feelings this intense except when his poor baby was in danger.

She wasn't his baby any more. He had to stop that. She was a full grown woman now, with womanly desires. No matter how much a part of him didn't want to admit it, she had grown up without him, and that fact had made life difficult for him these past few years as she matured. That was part of his whole problem, fate and his body telling him to think of her one way, his nurturing instincts telling him something totally different, remembering the first time that he had held her.

Maybe she was regretting what she had let him do?

Pulling himself together from his river, he sought to appear to her, but she kept changing her location, and she was flaring too much to pinpoint her accurately. Well, there was no panic, so it could not have been all that bad, whatever it was. If it had been an attack, he would have known surely. With revulsion that deep, she would be sure to come to him and purify herself, so he would wait quietly.

In mere seconds, she burst into the purification area, practically ripping off her clothing as she danced around muttering something about perverts. Perhaps it had been a good thing that she had been moving too fast, otherwise there might have been some very dead individuals, possibly him among them. On the other hand, that could still be a bad thing, since it meant there was at least one individual on the loose that needed a good beating. Perhaps he should start carrying his staff again, so he wouldn't have to get dirty while he beat the dirt out of whomever had set her off.

'My miko.'

Allowing himself to become one with the water once more, he lapped around her ankles as she put her clothing in the water. She must have felt very defiled if she were doing that, and it certainly would not be seemly for her to feel like she was being spied upon. While she calmed her breath, he soothed her legs waiting patiently to wash over her and take away her ills.

It didn't even dawn on him that maybe he was spying. Then again, he was the river, rivers don't spy. They merely happen to be in the right place at the right time.

When her shuddering was finished, the miko in white waded out to where the pool was deepest, submerging herself quickly in the frigid depths, and then taking up her position on a rock that the water cascaded onto and frothed about. As she scrubbed at her body, causing various parts to glow pink with the abuse, he noted how white was probably not the best color to bathe in, even if it were traditional. If anyone were to interrupt her, he would just have to punish them for looking at what belonged to him.

'My miko.'

His waters traced her form with a little more force, aiding her in her ministrations.

Slowly her tense form relaxed and released the toxins beneath the insistent massaging of the water, and he gladly rinsed them away, carrying them far from his innocent bride-to-be. Perhaps overly curious about what could bring such a strong reaction from her, he allowed himself to trickle through her thoughts, cleansing those as well. Some of them amused him greatly, like the ones that she had been trying to pay no attention to, he was just going to have to get her used to those kind of thoughts, although there was no way he would ever be caught dead in one of those _things_. That was hideous, and he was going to have to hurt Queso for even putting such an impure vision in her head. Other thoughts though, the ones that she seemed most eager to be rid of, disturbed him greatly. Like the incident in question.

'MY MIKO.'

She had defended her honor admirably, he would give her that most eagerly. He also approved of the swift justice that she had dealt, although he would have taken it a great deal farther. He would have removed something that most would consider very valuable. After all, she had been touched in a very dishonorable way, and it was only just to remove the offending appendage. Pride and honor demanded that the challenge be met. He would be a dishonor to his House if he did not get retribution, even if he did have a strange taste for human.

Human didn't taste very bad at all in fact, certainly not as bitter as he had heard. She was very sweet actually. It was a pity that they were so fragile when in the flesh, there were plenty of things that he would like to . . .

Bad thought. Now was not the time. He needed to concentrate on cleansing her, then punishing the nasty bug. No, he was something else. Bugs were useful. He was a, was a . . . he was a Queso, that was more than enough! He had made his miko feel _that_!

'Mine. Not his.'

Too soon for his liking, his miko left the waterfall and knifed through his pool. Briefly, he entertained the idea of pulling her down and keeping her, but ultimately let her go. She was a big girl and could take care of herself, and others needed her up here. He couldn't be selfish, even though he wanted to very badly at this time.

He wanted to be selfish right now very badly.

Forlornly, he watched his friend and unrealizing lover prepare to leave his side for her real world. She would return to the others, who would be graced with her smile and laughter, to see her dance in the dawn come morning. He wanted to call out to her, to tell her to stay and he would keep her safe from further incidents. As the miko finished tying her obi, she stiffened and looked around her, searching the waters and what she could see of the forests, feeling like she was being watched. Was it something else come to harass her?

There was nothing but the river, sadly swimming through its bed. Soft murmurs, almost like garbled words, pulled at her soul almost as if the river were speaking to her. Could a river speak in words and not just feelings or transmitted thought? Why did she feel as if she were being called back to the deep pool, and what would happen if she looked back? Long ago, she had been warned to not look back as she left the Spirit World. Had she visited then while performing misogi? Was that why she felt so pure now? Why was the water feeling so possessive as she stood ankle deep in the river?

The river. Sad. Speaking.

Without looking back, she smiled. He was almost disappointed that she didn't look back at him, but it might be a good thing, she had come very close to passing into his world while bathing, focusing her mind on holy things. It would be very sad if she left her body behind so soon, although it would certainly make things easier on him conscience wise to court a being who was not only a Pure Spirit, but also purely spirit. The way that her aura lit around her though, he knew that she was smiling for him, and had realized his presence. Had she learned to hear him as well in this water form?

"Thank you Kohaku. You are a good friend. You are the only male I know that I know I can bathe with, and not feel like I am being seen like a piece of meat. Or groped."

'Thank you. Now go, and don't look back.'

The miko nodded, water still dripping from her clothing even though it was drying magically fast. As she stepped from his waters, he reluctantly slid down her legs and back to himself, caressing her and giving her the only form of affection he was allowed to for now. The river maiden wove through the cover of the wild shrubs, and as she did so, various guardian spirits that had been waiting surrounded her, called by his summons.

Why had he agreed to three years? This was going to drive him mad, and his two aspects had begun warring about it already.

'You know you groped her. Quit with the denial.'

(I did not grope. I rubbed out the filth.)

'I believe you. As far as I can throw father.'

* * *

Later on, long after dark had fallen and the miko was in her bed dreaming the things that a pure maiden does, Kohakunushi rose from his river. Just as it once had, his river flowed in full view of the hospital, and as luck would have it, Queso now lay in the very same room that Chihiro had often been in as a child. Invisibly, the spirit passed nurses and doctors, seeming as but a breeze to them, which mysteriously opened and closed doors. 

Soon enough, the utterly devoted spirit of the river was at the bedside of the male that had dishonored his miko. He was in a 'playful' mood to put it politely, and he was going to have a little fun with the man's dreams. There were a few tricks that he had learned from Yubaba, and he felt no remorse in applying them here. It would be more fun to hurt him in his dreams, and there would be no explanation for the strange wounds, even though they would heal on their own. After all, what safer place was there to be than a hospital?

In the morning, the nurses and doctor found a very interesting word carved into a very interesting location. Their question was why, if the man was going to self-mutilate, would he carve 'hentai' there of all places. It wasn't deep enough to permanently damage his equipment, but it was deep enough to scar. Any Asian woman seeing that, would put her clothes right back on and walk away. Providing the guy could get that far of course, since he had been harassing the same poor girl for a really long time now.

Dragon Justice is harsh.

Bear in mind the fact that these doctors knew Miss Ogino. From the time that she was four until she moved away at 10, they had seen her in and out with various sicknesses, just like all the other children of that era. When she came back, there had been a few accidents when she jumped out of a tree, and they couldn't forget when she had decided to take up skindiving and practiced holding her breath in the local pool, going until she would pass out. With all the poor kid had gone through, this guy deserved whatever he got. They would have walked away and left it for the next shift to deal with, but they couldn't pass up the opportunity.

One nurse came back with rubbing alcohol and cotton balls. Obviously, it was a female nurse, as no man would ever subject a member of his own sex to such torture. Well, no male except one.

For their parts, both Haku and Nushi had greatly enjoyed the show, and even provided the razor blade that Queso had 'miraculously' come by. They did not have to lay a hand on the man, he did it all himself. Now if only Queso would leave Chihiro alone.

If they had known he would keep trying to court her, they would have figured out something worse. On the other hand, they almost felt sorry for the guy.

Who knew his self esteem was that bad? They didn't really think it would work.

Wait until he got home to find his apartment flooded yet again, and the water trapped there.

Before the day was very old though, the two aspects of Kohakunushi had the pleasure of witnessing Queso get served with a thick sheaf of legal papers. If his suspicions were right, his miko had filed for a restraining order after she had left his side yesterday.

* * *

Rain's Replies 

Thanks for all the reviews.

KatsyKat: When I get time, I'll go back and rework Snow a bit. Also, Chi and Haku will eventually get revenge on Ryu for his prank, but I haven't got any good ideas for that yet.

JoJo - Tatsu loves his little 'Ko-kun.' The girls were good though and asked, and they are just poor frail little humans. Obviously there had been no avalanche warnings at the time they wanted to go. Now, if you are a dragon, you are only 50 years old, and you get buried by an avalanche, don't you think a season would be decent for grounding? Especially at the rate young dragons mature. On the other hand, grounding sucks. Now, for Koji. Old people tend to have trouble letting go of certain things, illusions of youthful babies are one of them.

Monchi - Thanks.

NitenGale - You were too rushed, or the chapter?

Neech - Well, there he is.

Alaina - Next time, remember that Ten is very good at being annoying enough to cause someone to run through the closet door. Also, that wasn't the broom of doom. That was the kitchen broom.


	34. Birthday, St Paddy's Day

Courting the River Maid Collection

Birthday / St. Paddy's Day

* * *

Kohakunushi was in a generous mood again. He loved sending his Promised One little surprises. She was just such a sweet and innocent thing that he couldn't resist, and the blush that she wore whenever she came to his banks to thank his was so fetching. In other words, the more often that she shyly shuffled down to him, the more he found himself craving her demure mumblings. 

It had to have something to do with his wooing instinct, closely related to his hoarding instinct. Dragons tended to seek favor with the females they courted by presenting choice and precious things. It was usually jewels, but if he showered her with jewels, she would complain that she couldn't do anything with them.

That was an easy problem for him to get around though.

Most of the gifts were useful things that she needed. Fresh foods, an article of clothing if something was beginning to wear out, money for books, paying for Shrine upkeep, medical expenses and other such things. He had lost count of how many flowers he had sent when he received a report of her having a bad day. Three quarters of the things he gave on her behalf or of the other shrine occupants she never knew of, and she would probably yell at him if she did, but it was his job to provide for her.

He enjoyed it too. What woman in their right mind would turn down things they needed anyway?

He was tired of giving purely functional gifts though, he wanted to send her something special. Something that she didn't need to break the tedium of clothing and other such things. Frowning, he poured over the selection of jewelry that he kept in a silver coffer in his office. It was just too much temptation. Many fine items lay in here, but none of them was quite what he was searching for tonight. Today was her birthday, and it needed to be something special.

His eyes fell on a tiny gold box next to the silver one. No, not that special. The scales were for later. He wanted to present that himself.

Finally, in a small velvet pouch at the bottom of his silver coffer, he found something that satisfied him. The stone was like the grassy field that his sweet one had gone through to leave the Aburaya. A flawless emerald, it had been shaped into a perfect teardrop, rounded unlike the angular copies the humans usually made. Set in a cage of fine silver, the same metal suspended it on a filigree chain. Delicate, it was not meant for everyday wear, but once in a while, when the mood needed lifting, or for special events.

She needed something like that. The pearl necklace that she wore was lovely, but surely she would like something else, especially when he could finally get that thing off of her. Shaking himself out of his contemplations, he remembered that she would most likely be waking soon. With a wave of his hand, he sent the necklace to rest around her neck, and the pouch to sit on the bed stand. Before doing so though, he made sure to tuck a little note into the bag.

* * *

BlowingWind was up before everyone else. Donning a green dress that she had bought a couple weeks ago, the woman thought back over her life. She was half Apache, and up until the age of seven she had lived on a reservation. However, she was also half Irish, and after her father died, mother didn't want to stay. Everything had reminded her of him. 

And so they moved.

Her mother had done her best to teach her what she knew of the Apache culture. Most of what she could teach was her Irish culture. Being actually from Ireland itself, the woman had been a storehouse of information. Songs, stories, dances, crafts, history, you name it, she knew it. She had been a very superstitious woman in BlowingWind's experience. She had always gone on about how the fey folk had taken a particular interest in the family, and how a dragon had once cursed the family.

Still, for all she knew about her Irish heritage, something felt missing. Mother had always been very silent about the details of her family. Dragons also seemed to be attracted to the two for some strange reason. The few tiny ones that she had met had always asked her why she smelled like a dragon. It was a question she had no answer to.

That did nothing to curb her love of Saint Patrick's Day though. Yes, the man known as Saint Patrick had not been what one could call completely kind to the original people of Ireland, but somehow had become a kind of cultural icon much later on in history. It was the celebration of her heritage that appealed to her, both Pagan and Christian, both Historic and Mythic. And the fun of pinching people who didn't wear green today was nothing to pass up either.

Digging out the slow cooker, she happily recalled her mother's recipe for roast beef. Most people did the canned corned beef and hash, but BlowingWind scoffed at that. Canned was cheating, and roast beef was what corned beef was made out of anyway.

There was another reason that she was going to all this trouble though. Today was her best friend's birthday. Her gift was a taste of a real traditional Irish meal. Chihiro had found learning about other places and cultures was very interesting.

"Want some help?"

Chihiro was up too, waking up to go and greet the sun when she rose. They loved to go sing and dance in the dawn. It set the tone for a good day.

"Sure Chi. Happy birthday."

"Thanks."

The pair sliced up the vegetables and put them in the cooker with the meat. BlowingWind put in the water, and carefully placed in the herbs as well. It would be left to cook all day, and would be ready in time for dinner. Not much longer, they were on their way out the door for their ritual.

"OW! What was that for?"

"You aren't wearing any green."

"I am so! See!"

Here, Chihiro pointed at a teardrop of emerald suspended about her neck, polished and cut to perfection, set in a silver that gleamed in the low light. She had been planning on wearing a green obi to deter her friend's pinches, but when she had woken up, this had been around her neck. Since it was green, Chihiro forwent the obi. If BlowingWind didn't see it, and pinched her, then Chihiro got to punch back! She had learned the rules.

Of course, she knew who it was from. He was always leaving her little gifts it seemed. Some of them were obviously very expensive, like this most recent one. Where on earth did he come up with these things anyway? He was spoiling her, and he never left an explanation as to why he kept giving the gifts. Dragons could supposedly be very generous to those in their good graces, but this was getting ridiculous. As Ryu had once said, it was almost like she was being courted.

Nah. Well, maybe? Maybe it was just because it was her birthday. Yes, that was it, forget about that fantasy. There was no time for romantic pining.

_Punch._

BlowingWind laughed and rubbed her arm.

"That's nice. New?"

"This morning."

"A virile young dragon leaving gifts in your bedroom. Should we keep some condoms under your pillow? Just incase he gives you a very different present later tonight?"

"Wind!"

"Just a thought."

"Ryu's rubbing off on you."

"Eck! You're right."

"Maybe I should get you some condoms."

"I deserved that."

Calming down from shared laughter, BlowingWind began playing the music as they lifted their voices in song. Chihiro allowed her body to drift through the steps, greeting the sun goddess as she rose in the sky to bring light to the world once more. The goddess riding the solar disk smiled down at the pair of young women as they sang the praises and gave thanks for the lives that they led, calling upon their ancestors to lead them in the proper ways. Once they were done, Chihiro took her morning offering to the river.

"I'll be right back. I have to talk to Haku real quick."

"Ok. I'll wait here for a bit and listen to the wind then."

Chihiro took a bit longer than usual down by the river. Stammering was a bit of a problem today, and it got worse each time the river lapped at her feet. It took her five minutes to say thank you. He seemed to think it was funny or something, because the river kept chuckling and encouraging her every time she opened her mouth only to shut it and blush. She came away with the distinct impression that there was something else he was dying to give her, but the only clue that she received was one word echoing and curling in her mind. This one word, for some weird reason, easily pulled back to her thoughts the vivid dreams that she would purposefully ignore, and every fantasy that snuck up on her while she was researching more on dragons or pursuing her studies.

'Soon.'

* * *

Soon enough, the pair of women were done with their morning rituals and back inside the house, ready for breakfast. 

"Happy Birthday!"

Ryu was taking the meal he had made for everyone to the table, resplendent in a frilly green apron, purposefully wimped out. Across the chest, in big white script, it read 'I'm not Irish, but kiss me anyway!' He had also put one of those big bows in his hair like the women wore in 1950's America, also green and polka-dotted to match his apron. He only dug those out for today for a laugh. He was going to take those off later, and he wore a gree obi underneath to fend off his girlfriend later today.

Chihiro tried to speak through her laugher.

"A-arigato!"

As Wind and Chihiro seated themselves, Koji also came to the table, bearing his gift. Today, in acknowledgment of the pinch crazy Irish woman in their midst he had donned a green headband. In white, he had written 'watch out for the Irish assistant today' as a warning to anyone that he met who might ask about the object he usually did not wear.

Chihiro unwrapped the gift, carefully removing it from the blue paper and white ribbon. As she read the title, her eyes grew huge.

"'One Thousand and One Dragon Tales!' Arigato gozimasu! Why the 'Breeding Dragons' book though?"

After watching her finish opening Koji's present, Ryu got one last dish out of the kitchen, and put it before his girlfriend. He just couldn't resist this joke any longer after she had told him she had hated reading the book 'Green Eggs and Ham.' Personally, he had thought it was cute.

"Green eggs and Ham?"

"Happy St. Paddy's Day, 'Wind. Sorry, but some Leprechauns insisted on helping cook."

"Ryu. They can't travel outside of Ireland."

"Well, see if I ever make you anything special again. You could at least kiss the cook."

Ryu was now pretending to have some seriously hurt feelings. She could tell he was faking though, his lips kept twitching at the corners.

"I suppose I could, but the cook would need to close his eyes first."

When he had, BlowingWind picked up the whole fish that was on a plate in the center of the table. Carefully, so the cooked animal did not fall apart, she held it up to his lips. Quickly, she made contact.

"Hey!"

His eyes flew open to pin her with a sharpened glare as he wiped his lips. He really was put out that she had done that. He had worked hard on breakfast, and this was the thanks she gave him, a pucker session with a trout! For her part, she was laughing, causing her breast to heave. Maybe it wasn't so bad if he could watch that jiggle, but it still hurt.

Taking pity on him, she leaned over and gave him a peck on his cheek.

"EWWWWWWWW!"

The peanut gallery just had to chime in.

"It was on the cheek! What are you two complaining about?"

"We remember coming back from shopping the other day and finding the two of you playing tonsil-hockey on the couch."

"Yes. Chihiro and I were most disturbed."

"It's almost as bad as coming home and finding your parents doing that."

The rest of the day was uneventful as usual, if you didn't count Queso somehow getting wind of the fact that today was her birthday. His birthday gift was reservations for two at a posh restaurant for dinner.

"I'm sorry, but I can't accept that."

"Why not?"

"I've already got plans for tonight, and this is too expensive anyway."

Brown eyes narrowed as they spied the gem that hung close to her throat.

"You say my gift is too expensive, but I've never seen you wear that before."

"Oh, this? I just got it today."

"From who?"

"Kohaku."

Again, he had been shown up by that pretty boy she had obsessed over since he first showed up during the river project. The guy had even held her during the river matsuri, and here she was accepting a rather large emerald from him while turning down dinner reservations that didn't even come close to what the necklace was probably worth. Someday, that interloper was going to pay. And did she really have to sigh when she said his name?

"I see. Well, have a happy birthday anyway."

Chihiro had been surprised at how well Queso had taken it this time. She didn't realize that he was up to something.

At last, it was bedtime. She was full of boiled cabbage and roast beef. It wasn't fare that she was used to, but it had been tasty none-the-less. As she sat on her bed, Chihiro frowned. She didn't want to sleep in her necklace, in case it got messed up. Instead, she took it off and went to put it in the jewelry box that she had received on Valentine's Day two years ago.

At that time, she noticed a little green velvet pouch sitting in front of the box. Curiously, she opened it and removed the folded paper.

Chihiro.  
I put a spell on the pouch so you wouldn't see it until you  
were ready for bed. I hope that you like your gift,  
and that you had a happy birthday.

By the way, which do you prefer, coral or marble?

Carefully putting the necklace into the pouch, and then the pouch into the box where she kept her hair combs at night, the woman smiled. Looking towards the river through her window, she hoped that her words would reach him.

"Thank you again Haku. It's beautiful. As to your question, I would have to know what you are asking about."

* * *

Rain's Replies 

Jaded image - I liked it too. You should have heard me while writing the last one. I scared me! Ryu, Ten, and Sakananushi are glad that you enjoyed their trick, and now are in hiding for when those two figure out what happened.

Monchi - By all means, peruse the list. Glad you found the last story amusing.

Alaina - :laughs and just floats higher on the broom . . . discovering that ceilings are, in fact, quite solid.:

Sakurablossoms - Good, a laugh a day, keeps the doctors away. Especially if flying apples are launched.

Neech - Would you trust her if when you ran across her the last April Fools she pretty much admitted that she had pulled a prank . . . and heard Ryu's scream? But yes, his retaliation was a bit extreme. Don't try to trick a kami, eh?

Jojo - Chihiro will find some way to make him pay.


	35. Ditching

Courting the River Maid Collection

Ditching

Spirited Away, Chihiro and Haku belong to Hayao Miyazaki. Lily/Rumi (depending on the script and your ears) technically belongs to him as well, although in my universe created here she has been cast as a fish spirit. However Ten, Maiden Snake, BlowingWind, and the insidious Queso belong to me.

And now . . . without further ado . . . IT LIVES!

* * *

Ten had broken away from his work yet again, glad that he had finally gotten the terrifying tower of paperwork finished and even filed away for once. His desk was blessedly empty, and he was going to run away while it still was. Perhaps he would find Haku where he was up to his eyes in work of some kind, and torture him. Oops, he meant cheer him.

And so it was, that a bronze dragon made himself invisible to most human eyes and started paddling happily out of his spring and down his best friend's river on a personal dragon hunt. On his way, he saw a very familiar green squiggle gazing morosely into the water from a rock. Ten presumed that she was probably chafing at the fact that she hadn't built up enough power to grow from a snake into a dragon yet. It was always the same, since she wanted to be as wise as her elder adopted brother.

Ten thought it was hilarious that anyone could think that Kohakunushi, of all dragons, was wise. How wise was it to choose to live with sexual frustration as a normal part of everyday life? At least Maiden Snake made a regular diet of male blood with her guardianship of one particular miko who often found herself accosted by amorous men. And so, in an effort to cheer up the little snake spirit, he had invited her along.

They couldn't find him anywhere nearby, so he was probably down at the mouth of his river chasing off unwelcome squatters yet again. Since much of his attention was focused very possessively around the area his miko was living, the lower extremities sometimes found themselves encroached on. Instead of swimming down twenty or so winding miles that were fairly close to the original course, the two serpentine swimmers decided to go and spy on the shrine for a while.

There wasn't much to do anyway, since today was Maiden Snake's day off. Of course, since she was so possessive herself of the little girl that she had watched grow into a young woman, the spirit often complained how lax the volunteer spirits were in their guard. After a while, a particular young woman of the white and blue cloth had made her way down to the riverside. A lonely figure the maiden cut in the air, singing the soft strains of an ancient love between a river and human. Across her shoulders was a wooden pole, and hanging from this like so many pendant charms were six empty wooden buckets. The air was still around her, and the river's sounds grew quiet as the master felt the approach wherever he was. Judging by how soft were the sounds now, he missed the woman as much as the woman obviously missed him.

The song didn't last long, fading away into contemplative quiet as she pondered whatever was on her mind today. It was probably either how much she missed the physical presence of the kami, or another environmental project that she was involved in. Despite the fact that the river was restored, and how busy her schedule was with other matters of varying importance, she always made time to help somehow with other river projects. She had even been asked for advice on a river in Europe despite the fact that her expertise was in Japanese rivers and terrain. So, what should have been a quick task of filling the buckets with water for the garden took a long time.

They watched as she finished, putting the buckets on her pole once more when she was done getting the water. With a sharp exhale, the maiden stood up, the pole distributing the weight as equally as possible on her shoulders. Turning, she began to head back to the Shrine, when another woman came running down, also in Shrine garb.

"Don't go back up to the Shrine with the water for the blessings yet. _He's_ up there."

"Again?"

"Yup."

Exasperated, the woman put her burden back down, but held on to her pole. It might prove useful. The human cast a thoughtful look over her shoulder, then back up the direction that she and the other had come from. Satisfied, she started heading far up river quickly, towards a particular spot that had a lot of brush where she knew she could hide. The other woman followed, and they muttered back and forth while the dragon and snake began stroking after them.

"Maybe if I held my breath long enough and hid at the bottom of the river he wouldn't find me."

"Are you kidding? Queso has Chihiro radar. You could move to America to get away, and he'd probably still find you and bug you for a date, or a kiss, or worse."

"But why me? Why not you?"

"Asian fetish?"

"I really don't feel like dealing with this today."

"Maybe if you ask, Haku will sweep you off your feet and spirit you away from all this."

"Funny. Maybe you will actually marry Ryu and have sixteen squirming kids."

"Only when I'm darn good and ready will I. You know you want him, you can't hide it. Ryu told me what he thinks the two of you did. Just tell me what it was like."

"Shut up. Let's just hide."

A very red Chihiro plunged into the thick brush, followed by a BlowingWind who had her hand firmly clamped over her mouth to keep from laughing. Attracted by the sounds of womanly jesting, a very strange looking being came down the embankment, and looked around a bit.

"Huh, I could have sworn I heard her down here."

Four beings held their breaths. Satisfied that the object of his search was not there, one strange Spaniard toddled off. Minutes passed, then two laughing women tumbled out of the brush.

"What an idiot!"

"But I'm behind in my chores again now!"

"Well, if you would stop dreaming about Haku, maybe you wouldn't be so tired during the day."

"Shut up!"

"You do find Haku attractive, don't you? With how loud you cry his name at night, how can you deny it?"

Both were now red, one in embarrassment, the other with stifled laughter. Chihiro looked at her feet and mumbled her answer, but then got really pale when she realized she was still by the river when she said it. Actually, she was just barely within the river, and she really hoped that he hadn't heard her. Chihiro would have to be asexual if she didn't find him attractive, and she had just said so, and if he heard that she found him attractive . . . ! She had to get out of here, this was just too embarrassing. Was she really that loud when she was dreaming?

"What's that?"

Pointing in a random direction, Chihiro split as soon as her friend followed the gesture. As fate would have it that was exactly where the lord of the river was hiding as he jealously guarded his treasure. He had been on his way upstream to complain to Ten about how he had only just received a waterflow report that was six months late. However, he had also felt her approach to the river and had lost track of what he was doing when he heard her voice carrying through the waters to him. Lily had met up with him a little bit earlier on his trek back upstream as she had been searching him out to make a report on the progress of Chihiro's rooms in the river mansion.

Chihiro's intuition was saying that something was out there, but she saw nothing, the spirit of the river blending with the water, and the large fish merely looking like a resting fish. As Ten and Maiden Snake were still hiding upstream, she did not see them either.

BlowingWind stayed behind, laughing at her friend's embarrassment. Poor Chihiro really needed to loosen up. It wasn't like she was a nun in a cloister. The more she fought against those thoughts, the worse they were going to be. She knew, she had plenty of experience.

"At least I'm making progress with her. At this rate though, she'll be ninety before she goes any further!"

The other human took off after the future lady of the river, laughing while shouting after her friend.

"Chihiro! You chicken, you didn't say it so I could hear it. Admit it and I'll leave you alone! And it won't be fair if you hide in his room like the past several days when I ask!"

Left behind were a blinking dragon and fish, both wondering if it was safe for the human's sanity to leave her with BlowingWind. Roaring in laughter, another dragon was being hushed by a snake before one of the human tourists came down to find out what all the noise was.

Then it hit her.

She had just passed up a meal a little bit ago.

* * *

Rain's Replies

And I'll bet some of you thought I had forgotten this one . . .

AttackingHentaiChibiFluffperson - You know who you are, you creatively named person you! I am updating now.

NitenGale - Yes, the underwear drawer is a sacred place. Chihiro needs to just get a lock on her bedroom door though, don't you think. However, that would give her too easy of a place to hide.

KatsyKat - Ryu has to keep torturing them. After all, Ten can't be there every moment . . .

Rakasha - Still hanging in there? No blown brains from stress, right?

Jojo- a Queso cameo for you. You can wear him on your neck, just not under your blouse.

Monchi - Technically, Haku is way over a century old. Although if you want to go with the fact that Chihiro is now like a mother to the river what with physically digging much of it . . . not only is he way too young for her now . . . she's like his mom. Now my head hurts.

Jaded image - Sakananushi is a fun one to write.

RoisinDhu - Yes, poor Ryu. I went and hid under the covers, because everything I could think of BlowingWind doing to punish the guy terrified even me.


	36. Massage and Jealousy

Courting the River Maid Collection

Massage and Jealousy

Happens sometime in Chihiro's last spring/summer border as a technically single woman.

I don't own Spirited Away, but I found I couldn't resist this plot bunny. Even a Priestess needs a trip to the local bath house sometimes, even if she doesn't think so. After all, what are girl friends for and where else can one get a soak and massage? Of course, it is possible for a fox and human to get a little carried away with their plans for one stubborn Nisou . . .

When the inspirations stop, I'll probably reorganize this collection into a vaguely chronological order. When that happens, a few connected clips will probably be reposted together.

* * *

Once again, Chihiro had brought herself into a complete state of frazzlement and exhaustion. As usual, she had not told anyone when her duties combined with the environmental projects that she involved herself in were taking their toll. And so, BlowingWind had enlisted help from a source that Chihiro would not expect. The Co-President of Good Fortune Construction company, the lovely and witty Tsuni Tsukaimono had been glad to get together to spend a little girl-time with the shrine keepers. 

Neither the Shaman or the disguised Kitsune had informed the river's maiden about the plans that had been made. There was a very important reason that the excursion was being kept a secret from her. Chihiro would literally run for the hills and seek refuge from what she called, 'the horror of the girl's day out.' She hated makeup.

This did not daunt the two older women though, as both knew the value of ditching work and getting physically pampered every once in a while. Besides, they really wanted to see the young thing in something other than her working robes, or even the ornate kimonos that her kami had her dress in when she was relaxing. It was time for a makeover, even if it would ultimately probably only last one day.

In order for this mission to be a success, a little male help was needed. After all, her chores did still need doing, and with the exodus of both of the shrine's females, that only left the males to tend to shrine affairs. Koji, Kumiro, and Ryu were all glad to help, and so the day was set, and Tsukaimono had pulled some strings to get all the necessary reservations set up.

On the chosen day, the sky was a brilliant blue as the sun rode high through the sky, a great golden ball rolling across the silk of the distant dome. Not a cloud marred the surface, and warm breezes played across the fields, through the suburbian streets not so very far away, and even in the forest trees that were managing to escape development. Unknowing that today was unlike any other early spring day, Chihiro had made her morning greeting to the sun, and had gone down to the river to leave her morning offering to her guardian deity. As the fox watched the shy exchange from a bush higher up the river, she nearly laughed aloud at how the river and priestess danced around the hormones that were demanding that they join with each other.

The kitsune began to understand why the young priestess always overworked herself. The poor thing just wasn't mentally ready yet for what the loud blaring of her internal clock was calling for and was trying desperately to drown it out. The river was more than ready though, and it seemed like he was having a little trouble holding back in consideration for the young woman's mental health. Humans always had such problems with denial. But really, she was going to work herself into an early grave if she didn't take more thought to herself and less about others and the environment!

After what seemed like ages of small talk with the river, his licking her toes with wavelets in some weird dragon habit, a lot of odd silences between the pair and several Chihiro blushes, the human finally tore herself away from whatever she was looking at in the water. The wind swirled around her like he was trying to ease something, fluttering the strands of hair that had fallen out of her severe although warmly ornamented chestnut bun, and waving the generous folds of cloth that both disguised and accentuated her womanly curves.

'Shy as a water dragon. Grr.'

As the shrine maiden passed by the bush that had been sheltering the fox woman and the human female, the pair leapt out and grabbed her. Tsukaimono had wrapped one strong arm around Chihiro's torso, effectively trapping both of the human's arms while the other had guided a hand across her mouth to stifle the shouts. If the river guardian heard such distress in the woman's voice within the river's range of hearing the young kami would no doubt drop whatever he we doing to materialize and rescue his maiden. That would certainly put a hamper on their plans to force her to relax. Blowingwind, meanwhile, had tied Chihiro's ankles together with a length of rope that had been brought for the purpose. She would no doubt try to run away, or at the very least lash visciously out with her feet.

Neither the fox or human had realized what thought had to go into a kidnapping.

"Don't worry Chi! This is for your own good."

"That's right little human. You work too hard, and it is far past time that somebody rewarded you. To the onsen!"

Chihiro's little eyes widened in horror at the realization of what was going to happen. Her pupils had contracted so small with the adrenaline coursing through her, that they seemed like a pair of pinheads lost in twin seas. Tsukaimono was a regular at the community bath house, and she went so often that they had named the full package of services there after her, the Tsukaimono Ultimate. It included the hot bath, massage, meal, hair stylist, clothier, makeup artist, manicurist, pedicurist, and sometimes extra services that she didn't even want to think about. In short, the simple little thing was doomed.

"Mph! MMMM! Mf!"

"Nope. You are getting pampered, whether you want it or not. Let the guys deal with the workload for once."

Chihiro's growl behind the hand was unmistakable, and the youkai and ningen 'kidnapping' the Nisou nearly fell over laughing at how much she sounded like her kami when she did that. And so, the poor thing was yet again 'spirited away.' Things were definitely taking on a pattern, and it wasn't one that she liked. Naturally, she fought as hard as she could, but that wasn't very hard considering the non-human female carrying her was much stronger and better rested.

It was a relatively easy matter to get the poor thing into town, where she quickly quieted and somewhat co-operated to save her pride. She could only pray that they would not attack her with make-up.

The cement building rose before her in an unimpressive display. Yes, it was imposing as far as modern architecture went, but even this could not hold a candle to the onsen that she had onceworked in. The grey walls held no poetry for her, and the landscaping outside was just . . . not right somehow. The plants all looked as if they would rather be anywhere else, although they did perk up a bit when Tsuakimono whistled low.

"So, what are we going to do here?"

"Just leave it to us."

"That's not comforting."

Hours later, Chihiro finally emerged from the steaming bath that she had been lurking in. Her so called friends had teased her about how much she acted like a water dragon, content to just sit and soak, occasionally lazily floating about in laps in the gigantic tub that had been reserved. Of course, when confronted about it, the woman merely assumed the classic hiding pose, leaving only her eyes glowering above a nose that gently stirred the water with annoyed and embarrassed breath.

"Wow, Chi! We thought you would never get out. Did it have something to do with the fact that all that water originally came from the young and virile river kami that you so worship?"

"How many times do I have to tell you that I do not worship him, 'Wind! I serve as his Priestess. There is a difference."

Tsukaimono, clad in her white bathing kimono that she wore as a traditionalist, could not resist a remark from where she leaned against a lovely woodland mural. It was too easy.

"No squeak at us to not remark on his virility? You do realize that it would only take a word from him, or some misplaced liquid, to cause a virgin like yourself to become mysteriously pregnant. I wonder if he has considered what 'danger' you are in, serving in such a close position to him in your fertile years. Or maybe that is exactly what he wants . . ."

"Stop! He's Kohaku! Professional relationship! It's just professional."

"Kisses on the lips at matsuri that leave a girl breathless are professional? Thanks for the info, there are several virile young men at the office that I can now kiss. I wonder though, if the kisses start to get sloppy would that mean that he intends to take it farther? Fertility is something that he has to attend to, and you are the last of your line."

The harassed maiden slapped her forehead, allowing the sharp crack of flesh on flesh to resound through the room. She herself was in a dry bathing kimono now, leaving the wet one behind as their small group prepared for the next item on their docket.

"I'm surprised that I am still sane with the pair of you. What's next?"

Blowingwind began to hop up and down, clearly looking forward to the next item. It was obviously all she could do to keep from screaming out her answer.

"Massage!"

With that, the poor priestess was nearly drug through the halls by two very over-excited women eager to not miss their appointment. In fact, she may have even flapped in the wind a bit as BlowingWind was certainly living up to her name and pulling the kitsune and the priestess after her as she breezed through the halls. She had no idea what they were so excited about, since all it would be was somebody getting paid to prod at her muscles.

It didn't take long to see why they were so eager. The muscular men were not half bad looking. Actually, they were very attractive, the kind of men that most single young women dream of, or salivate over in shojou anime and manga. However, she was mentally comparing them to Haku, as distracting as that was. Haku won by a landslide . . . or more appropriately a raging flood that swept away all the competition before him like so much flotsam, leaving little bloodied bits of human males bobbing in the aftermath. What mortal on earth could compete with such silken mysteries as his hair, or his well-proportioned body that he hid under all those layers leaving only one's imaginations or occasional embraces to reveal his splendors? What other being could trap and entrance with but a swift look with emerald orbs?

Oh, this wasn't good, Chihiro was starting to feel herself get excited as visions of Haku danced in her head. A definite no-no, as her hormones tortured her enough as it was without being excited.

"You brought me here to look at guys?"

The Shamaness could not reply, too far gone in the ecstasy of pained muscles being relieved by the tender tracings and proddings of attractive men that she did not need an anti-fertility charm to be around safely. All she could manage were inarticulate groans, interspersed every once in a while with barely managed moans of a name that she usually screamed in irritation. This left it up to the kitsune to reply.

"Among other things. You can't deny that you are enjoying the massage. I have a nose for these things."

With that answer, Chihiro could only give in and get on with the massage. Maybe if she pretended it was her kami she wouldn't feel like she was betraying him by letting a male touch her. After all, he himself had given her kisses and massages. If she did not allow kisses, why would he object to a massage as long as the hands stayed where they belonged?

"Good girl. Welcome back to sanity."

After an indeterminate amount of time, as time means nothing when you are getting your muscles turned into butter, the three females eventually oozed off of the massage tables. Blowingwind was wearing an utterly goofy grin on her face, leaving no doubt in the minds of the youkai and nisou as to exactly what she had been fantasizing about. Of course, Chihiro wasn't much better, and her magnificent masseur had become very confused when she had started moaning some shrine chant over and over that sounded suspiciously like praises to her kami.

He thought it sounded something like "Forgive me for my impure and lustful thoughts. Your hair is like the darkest night, flowing like your river. Your arms are sheltering banks that hold the shoals of fishes, lending me your strength when I need you most. Your eyes are polished jade and rare emerald, flashing with secret knowledge hard gained. I come to you in my sorrow, in my joy, and always with reverence. Bestow your blessings on the people, and show me your smile once again. Nigihayami Kohakunushi! Forget not your children stranded on the land."

The rumors were right, she did work too hard. No wonder she beat any man off of her with whatever was handy if they touched her inappropriately. The priestess couldn't afford to let anyone know that she prayed in the throes of . . . whatever that was. At least she took her job seriously though.

The women left their masseurs behind them as they slithered off to their next objective. Chihiro was going to get into something a little different than usual, and it would be best to put her in it while her mind was as mushy as her muscles were right now. This clothier that Tsukaimono favored was noted for daring styles, and certainly would bare more of her flesh than Chihiro would in a more coherent moment.

Chihiro's mind was so mushy, she didn't notice that she was dressed in something that would be guaranteed to cause her kami a nose bleed. He had enough trouble the few times they had gotten to play Go or Chess together. The full black skirt was very conservative, falling from her waist to her ankles in giant ruffles of midnight to swirl freely about her legs like the deepest river currents when she swam. The deep blue top was another matter. Kimono styled, it could fit in well with what she usually wore except for two important things . . . the amount of cleavage that showed and the fact that her well-toned abdomen could be seen very nicely.

If the river lord saw her wearing that, he would have a nose bleed for who knew how long, and then rage that any male could have been ogling his 'sweet, innocent Chihiro.' It sounded like a blast to Tsukaimono, and BlowingWind was also game for a little 'bait the river and see if it will flood.'

The fox took advantage of exactly how out of it Chihiro was. So the priestess ended up with a very tasteful facial as well. By this time, BlowingWind had fully recovered her own senses, and they decided to get Chihiro back to the shrine while she was still in the new clothes. They wanted to walk her along the river, and this would certainly make up for the fact that he certainly would have received numerous reports of his Chihiro not being where she was supposed to be.

And so, the two women gently guided a very dazed and dreamy priestess out of the public bath house, through the town, and eventually walked her along the river. Neither knew what she was thinking about that kept her in that state, and neither really cared to know. The goofy grin was all the warning that they needed that it was most likely immersed in the absolute deepest current of the river doing things they really didn't want to think about. It was either that or she was fantasizing about a nice fish and side of salad.

As the trio waltzed along the river towards the shrine, the distance passed quickly. This was most likely because it was a gorgeous day with a warm sun. Actually, it was quite hot, summer having started about a month ago. It was just at that time of year where spring still reigned in the morning, but after 10 o'clock you'd better be in shorts. Weather was getting stranger every year.

"Great day for a swim, don't you think 'Wind? Pity we've already bathed."

The fox hid a cunning smile as she addressed her friend, keeping a keen eye on the river as they walked. The shrine was maybe about another mile or so up the river now, and she was very happy that she had kept in such good shape. Walking was much better than public transportation anyway. It was better for the environment as well as for the body, and you had more time to enjoy the scenery.

"Yeah. I'm already really hot. Kohaku sure looks nice and cool right now. What do you think Chihiro?"

Chihiro was still off in Lala-land, and didn't hear the question. Her mind was still stuck underneath expert hands as they worked all of her tension away.

"Wow, look at that. He was so good CHIHIRO still hasn't come back to reality."

It was at this point that the river began to stir. The bait had been set, the water had heard a name it considered very important and a certain water being was paying attention from wherever he currently was. The way his river listened for anything concerning his human, it was like he was obsessed. Tsukaimono thought it was sort of cute in a creepy way, and briefly entertained the idea of yelling that at the river before deciding that she didn't want to die by a water attack in her shower or some other ridiculous method of drowning . . . like her drinking water raising from her glass at work.

"It was just what she needed. She really did need to loosen up. It's no wonder that the guys think she's a prude."

BlowingWind couldn't hide her smirk at Tsukaimono's comment, and noticed that the river surface was starting to get choppy. That was a sure sign that Haku was now hanging on every word, and probably had a whole pot of ink upended on his desk and soaking into his expensive stationery.

"The way she was calling his name I certainly would not have said she was a prude. I mean, she was PRAYING of all things. I was far gone and even I could hear it."

* * *

The spirit of the Kohaku River had at one time been buried deep in his account books, trying to figure out how many more spirits he owed favors or money too. Even though he was what you could call one of the more upright of spirits, he had done some less than honorable things at times. Of course, it hadn't exactly been under his own full will, but he should have been able to refuse the things that the witch had called on him to do in his time of servitude. As a result . . . here he was years after his release trying to figure out if he still owed the spirit of the Kitsuimizu River for stealing the enspelled rubies from his treasure stores under Yubaba's orders. He thought he had repaid that crime, but he wanted to be absolutely positive as that blasted spirit happened to have one of his own secreted inside Chihiro's very own family. It would be just his luck that he decided he wanted Chihiro to serve him in repayment, and that blasted Honshu clan would be behind him for honor's sake. 

Yubaba would turn into a pig before he let that happen. She already looked like a tengu with that giant beak she called a nose.

Pouring through his notes on who he still needed to pay back, one can only imagine the supreme relief that the river lord felt when he found out that he had indeed repaid the other river spirit for the damage that had been done. Even better, he only had about five spirits left to repay. Finding this out of course meant that he was in a virtually unparalled good mood, and he was going to force things around so that he could take a break and finally physically visit his precious priestess.

That's when he heard the conversation between the kitsune and BlowingWind about HIS Chihiro.

"Yeah. I'm already really hot. Kohaku sure looks nice and cool right now. What do you think Chihiro?"

"Wow, look at that. He was so good CHIHIRO still hasn't come back to reality."

'HE was so good? Who is this he cluttering my Chihiro's thoughts?'

"It was just what she needed. She really did need to loosen up. It's no wonder that the guys think she's a prude."

Wanting to know more about just what on earth was happening and not wishing to become fully one with his waters and risk flooding the countryside if he lost his temper, Haku turned on his view mirror. As he was paying attention to little else, one great draping sleeve somehow managed to catch on the ink pot, spilling not only on a neat pile of blank stationery but also placing a very large black splot on a once pristine haori.

"The way she was calling his name I certainly would not have said she was a prude. I mean, she was PRAYING of all things. I was far gone and even I could hear it."

'That's odd, the only praying I heard from Chihiro was the standard prayer for the human community.'

"Can you blame her Wind? She craves his touch. It's just not natural for a girl to go so long without strong arms and sure hands."

'Who has been touching my Nisou? This is unacceptable! No males touch her without my permission.'

It really was amazing how quickly a few words could put the river dragon in such a jealous rage. Having overheard the conversation by his banks, Kohakunushi (mostly Haku though) had completely forgotten about what he had formerly been occupied with. Instead, he was now running as fast as his feet could take him to his river. Once there, he had jumped straight in and swam through his waters for all he was worth to rectify this problem, leaving scores of confused servants behind him wondering just what had crawled under the master's tail to cause him such distress.

It wasn't long before rumors spread that he had finally snapped. As far as the servants were concerned, their soon-to-be mistress wasn't going to be virgin much longer the way the master had smelled. When riled, instinct dictated that a dragon attack whatever had trespassed, and then put their scent all over their mate once more as a mark of possessorship. A few of the bolder ones made bets as to what human male had done something to the lord's mate-to-be, and how many pieces the mangled body would be found in.

* * *

Back above ground, Chihiro had stopped walking and drifted down to sit by the river that was running so swiftly with the spring runoff still filtering down and welling up from Ten's spring. She was slowly coming to her senses, although not yet realizing that she was wearing something highly out of character. In English, she was skipping stones and grinning goofily at the extremely long fantasy that she had just finished. 

Chihiro coming to her senses so soon had not been part of their original plan, but it was probably better this way. After all, if the kami did come storming up here to find out what all the touching talk was about, it would be far better for them if she did not seem like she was drugged. They really hoped that this plan worked to end his self-imposed exile because attention from the real thing is way better than a measly projection holding your hand at night and making googoo eyes while he can't be seen.

Tsukaimono decided to ask a question of the happily relaxed woman who had stopped trying to skip stones and instead had begun to lazily caress the surface of the water from her rock she had claimed.

"So Chihiro, now that you are sort of back with us, did you enjoy it?"

"MMMMMM. I do feel better, Tsukaimono. Thank you."

"So, do you want to go back to the Shrine, or find something else to do?"

"Let's just stay here for a bit. He's so nice to look at."

Ok, so maybe she was still further gone than the fox had thought if she was going to make that admission to anybody other than Kumiro. BlowingWind was having trouble keeping her laughter stifled at the priestess' admission and how she was so casually toying with the water. Who knew what that was teasing the dragon into. As the winds gently stirred and the birds sang their cheerful songs the girl looked like a sappy Hallmark card that wasshowing belly and cleavage.

Now all she needed was a bow on the top of her head and a giant neon sign saying 'just take me already.' They didn't need rope because if Haku came along and ravaged her, she was definitely not going to complain in the state they had gotten her into. With this in mind, they retreated into some bushes.

It was none too soon either, for as soon as they had hidden themselves, the river roiled and spat forth it's spirit and master. An utterly imposing sight, his midnight hair and ornate robes rippled in wrathful winds that seemed to only affect him. Steel blades scoured the landscape for whatever vile male had dared to take advantage of the poor innocent woman that was under his protection. If Chihiro had been looking up his full manliness would have taken her breath away. Instead, she was gazing longingly into the shallows where her fingers played.

Tsukaimono and BlowingWind suppressed amused snorts at the picture Kohaku made and at how once more their friend was absolutely oblivious to what was standing before her. Now he had his hands on his hips glaring at the little woman, waiting for his explanation. It hadn't registered yet what 'his Chihiro' was wearing.

"You know girls, the massage was nice, but Haku does a much better job. He has a better figure too."

Haku was trying very hard to ignore the little fingers playing in his shallows. For him, it was as if she were to run her fingers through his hair, a gesture that easily would reduce him to a little puddle if she were to ever do that. Not like he would ever let her know, as he was a dragon and dragons just do not puddle at anyone's feet for attention as a matter of pride. All this was over a massage?

He had another urge to wrap her in his waters for all time and severely maim anything that came near her. He shook that off though. It may be acceptable with his own breed, but that was certainly something he would never hear the end of from Chihiro if he maimed anything that came near her.

Wait! That still meant someone had been running their sweaty hands all over what was his. The thought of another male getting to touch her soft skin and to knead out the rocks from her muscles as she moaned in relief did not go over well. On the other hand, whomever it had been had not beaten him on either score. It was a bit of an ego boost to know that he compared favorably against other males in her eyes, and that mollified him somewhat.

Now he just had to get that smell off of her, and he was very happy that although he could smell a male he did not smell any arousal from either her scent or the whiffs of him that lingered on her. There were so many new smells on her that it was hard to tell at first that it had really been his Chihiro.

Still gazing into the water, the woman in question removed her hand from the river to cover a yawn.

"I'm too relaxed. I want nothing more than to take a nap. If you want to head for the Shrine, I'll catch up later."

With that, his priestess stood from the rock and walked to where there was nice soft grass still within arm's reach of the river. Discarding dignity for a while, she unceremoniously plopped down and stretched out, mumbling something yet again! It was very annoying how she mumbled, and then the only word he would be able to make out was his own name. Whoa, what was she wearing?

He was about to stalk onto the shore and wake her up to demand the name and description of the man that had dared to touch her and why she was being paraded around outside of her room in such a revealing albeit attractive top, when a loud guffaw from a nearby bush alerted him that it was a setup and there were witnesses. Female witnesses, one of which was a fox. Haku had been so wrapped up with the thought of someone else seeing what he was waiting patiently (or impatiently depending on his mood) to see that he had forgotten about the kitsune and shaman who he had first heard.

"Do you find it amusing to play with my thoughts fox-woman?"

Grinning despite the fact that she had no longer been able to hold back her laughter, a very unrepentant kitsune-onna strode from the bush she had been secreted in. With green eyes twinkling and red hair blazing, quite the mischief maker did she appear to be.

"Greatly, although you were supposed to ravish her in my plan. I guess that you are becoming more able to hold your obsession in check."

"You and your father are terrifyingly alike in some ways. BlowingWind, what part did you play in this?"

BlowingWind refused to come down from her perch in one of the trees, instead calling down from the foliage.

"I just wanted her to be able to relax. Since Ryu and Kumiro kept interrupting the two of you, I was hoping that by finishing she would be relaxed longer than a trip to the spa is going to last her."

"I have not gone anywhere as far as you are assuming I have."

If glares could be lethal, the tree Wind was hiding in would have caught fire and she would be nothing but ashes.

"Then why are her bras still going missing?"

"Why must you meddle in our love life?"

"Does she know what you are doing and where your hands are going during the artifact blessings?"

"Do you want me to tie you up and give you to Ryu to do with as he sees fit? Complete with a nice black and red bow, sake and a hotel room?"

While Tsukaimono was now rolling around on the forest floor in laughter at the exchange between the American and the dragon, Wind had fallen out of her tree in shock.

"You wouldn't!"

Actually, right now he was so aggravated and annoyed that he would.

"Are you brave enough to find out?"

"MEEP!"


	37. Mumbles, Ditching part II

Courting the River Maid

Mumbles (Ditching part II)

Spirited Away belongs to Hayao Miyazaki.

Fluffiness.

* * *

Kohakunushi was still in an irate mood since yesterday. Ten had caught up on his paperwork, but that did not excuse the fact that the report had gotten to him **six months late**. Just what did the spirit do with himself all day? On the other hand, no he didn't want to know after some of the 'stress relief techniques' Ten had once told him about. That was just wrong! It was wasteful, and what if something just sprang up from it like what had been known to happen to other kami? That would be a little hard to explain to a certain human that may be clueless much of the time but certainly was capable of a little jealousy.

She already knew about Ten's kittens. For goodness sake, Cat was a descendant of one of the little devils, which was why he had been so useful for Zeniba as a spy on Chihiro. She could do research, and Ten would gladly tell her anything if it would be an embarrassment to Kohaku. His little problem would be a huge embarrassment.

If you couldn't tell by where his mind had automatically gone, Chihiro was ovulating yet again. Every month like clockwork, and she had started it yesterday while she was fast asleep in that itty bitty teeny tiny top he had found her in. He refused to take Ten's advice for this particular problem, no matter how tempting it was. It would be his luck she would start a shower right then, and well . . . he didn't think she would be all that pleased or understanding if she got pregnant taking a shower. If that happened, he would have to admit to his naughty thoughts to her face, and he wanted so badly for her to think of him favorably.

Admitting he had trouble concentrating on his work because random thoughts of Chihiro running through his head in truly nosebleed worthy garments would not ingratiate him with her. He had learned that when she had sent Queso flying through the air for asking if he could take a nude photo of her for his calendar. The idiot had landed in his beautiful clean river, where Maiden Snake trapped him until Queso had figured out he could just swim over to the other side.

It had taken an hour to remove all trace of him from the river again after it was safe to emerge.

**Mumble, mumble, m.**

'Huh?'

**Grmble gr.**

The mumbler had gotten into his waters now and it . . . rather she . . . was revealed. Easily stroking her way through his waters, she left the safety of the pool he had formed for her personal use, still mumbling to herself as she went. The water wanted to suck her under and find out exactly what was wrong, but the thinking part of the river realized what a bad idea that was. Her poor little lungs were so fragile, and the water would surely burn if she were under for too long. It just wasn't time yet to give her the very bracelet that would enable him to do it safely.

Then she had better watch out, because he planned to show her bit by bit what he had been holding back on. Kohakunushi couldn't believe he had been so wrapped up in his thoughts and dreams that he hadn't sensed her approach for once, no matter that he was sleeping.

She drew in a deep breath then dove deep beneath his surface. When others swam in him, he could ignore them, but with Chihiro it was different. He could tell when she was within 20 yards of his shores, and he would yearn for even the tiniest taste of her sweet skin. Every time that she touched his waters or waded in the shallows was bliss, and when she would dive into him it was absolute ecstasy!

He did his best not to let her know though. If she knew, he doubted very much that she would come to him anymore. No doubt she would consider it to be rather creepy, he knew that he probably would if he were a human.

She touched bottom and then headed back up to drink in the dry air that her lungs required. Well, if he were to be technical he couldn't really say it was dry, since some of his waters evaporated into the air and eventually joined with clouds or was pulled into the lungs of living creatures keeping the delicate membranes moist. It wasn't pretty when lungs and sinus passages dried out and cracked.

As she slid easily through him, the embodied part of the river was very glad he had been taking a nap in his chambers instead of currently being where others would see him. He was separate from his river, and yet at the same time he and the river were the selfsame entity. They were two parts of one whole waiting not so very patiently for when the little land fish was finally ready to join with him properly.

"Still can't believe I said that yesterday. **Mumble, mumble**."

'What is she going on about?'

Haku was trying very hard to give her privacy as she worked out whatever she was dealing with, recognizing when a comforting stroke would not be welcomed. Still, her habit of mumbling to herself was very annoying.

"And you heard it too, huh? That's why you haven't even said hello!"

Well, if he had been standing or sitting he would have fallen over in surprise. He thought she had been talking to herself. He hadn't even heard his name mentioned once. Deciding that now he needed to talk, he focused his attention more fully on his fish.

'Heard what Chihiro?'

"You know very well what I'm talking about, and I made you feel uncomfortable. That's why you didn't even call me tonight."

The poor river was still clueless as his conscious being slept.

'Chihiro, calm down. You are scaring the fishes. I honestly have no idea what you are talking about. But if you want to know why I didn't call you to swim with me, it was because I thought you could use some extra rest. I didn't greet you because you happened to surprise me tonight and then started talking to yourself.'

Watery arms coalesced around the fuming priestess, rocking her in the river's embrace. How she took all of this in stride so easily he had no idea, but it probably came from their interactions when she was still just a little child.

"You didn't hear what I admitted to BlowingWind?"

Uh-oh. He had to phrase this carefully, or she was going to snub him for a while. Females were touchy creatures. Chihiro was actually rather hard to insult thankfully, but all the same he would rather not risk it. He still remembered when she thought he had pranked her and fed him wasabi stuffed rice balls with a side of garlic mochi and soy sauce instead of sake.

Judging by how warm her skin was, it had been something very personal and embarrassing. He did wonder what she had said though now that the incident was in his mind.

'You were speaking too softly for me to hear. What did you say?'

By this time he had leaned her up against one of his sandbars, still keeping wrapped around her as if he were bodily there holding her in his lap.

"Oh, it's not that important."

Now as her temperature had risen even higher indicating a much deeper blush he was very doubtful that it hadn't been important. Further proof could be easily gleaned from the fact that she had squeaked her reply in a very tiny voice. However, he was willing to let it slide this time since she seemed to be so embarrassed. She did need to learn a lesson in how annoying mumbling was though.

'Hmm.'

That thought had given Haku an idea, and if she could do it to him, then turn about was fair play. Thinking as quietly as he could and yet allowing her to hear at the same time, he launched his counterattack.

'No more important than what I dream about you then, koi?'

Chihiro could feel the stirring in her mind indicating that he was sending a thought to her, but she had not been able to catch what it had been.

"What?"

She heard the water chuckle at her and felt the waters chuck her chin like she was still a little kid.

'I said you need to go to bed.'

Chihiro knew that had not been what he said since it had been much shorter than the murmurs she had barely caught. Something about dreams, but that was the only word she had heard. She was tired though.

"Fine."

The priestess stood up where he had deposited her, and found herself right back at the shrine. Then again, that's what she got for swimming upstream. What a sneak he could be though.

"Good night Haku."

'Good night Chihiro.'

After his priestess had left for the warmth of her bed, the river couldn't help but burst into song. Instead of using his full name tonight, she had simply called him Haku at their parting. It was much more personal, and she had even come to him without a request. He still wanted to know for sure what she had mumbled yesterday, but he could guess with how embarrassed she had been.

In his bed, his physical shape rolled over, still cuddling Sen's old bath house uniform that he had swiped long ago.

Like hell he was going to let anybody know he had it.


	38. Primrose! Ten, Don't Sneeze!

Courting the River Maid Collection

Primrose! Ten, Don't Sneeze!

A peek at one event of the river matsuri where Kohakunushi finally returns to Chihiro.

Everyone has their problems. . .

* * *

Ancient Japan . . . 

Jade eyes focused on the task before them, starry midnight cut short around his head until he would be old enough to grow it out. Drop by crystalline drop, he measured the liquid into the compound that he was working on. Each drop changed the color of the mixture in the clear beaker. Finally, after the 53rd drop, he put the substance down, to begin slowly adding the next ingredient for the potion that the sensei was teaching today.

He and Ten were working on potions that were supposed to heal any creature it was given to.

_ACHOO!_

His friend's sneeze caused poor Ten to add one drop to many to his own mixture. The result was an explosion that also set off his own attempt. Both seeming teenagers were covered in black soot, the only clean parts of their frontsides were the areas immediately around their eyes where protective goggles were taken off after the smoke cleared. Their formerly white study kimono were charred, as could be expected, and both were now sporting very fuzzed out hairdo's.

The young lords did not receive good marks for that assignment and ended up having to write a paper on it instead. They did discover that Ten was allergic to primrose though.

* * *

Eight hundred years later . . . 

Sun shone on the young lords of the Sacred Spring and the Kohaku River, warming the tops of broad shoulders as they strolled along the cliff that Kohakunushi's great-grandmother lived in. They had both gone to visit the lonely old dragon, and were now on their way home, enjoying the seaside scenery that they rarely saw.

Ten sneezed, lost his balance, and both fell to the beach below. When they recovered from the shock, they wondered if there had been a bush of primrose nearby.

* * *

Fifty years ago . . . 

Hidden in a tree, a set of jade eyes and a set of earthy eyes peered from the foliage as they watched the strange humans of the era build their homes. The style of the building was just so weird, so very un-Japanese. They thought the garden was nice though. There were lots of ornamental plants that they had never seen before, as they had been imported from other countries that they had never visited.

A woman and her cat walked underneath their tree to get to a hole ready for the new foliage that the owner of this home was currently carrying. She was a pretty thing, curly blonde hair fell in ringlets around a pleasant face that treasured green eyes. This foreign human seemed to like plants a lot, combining the foliage of her country of origin with the natural plants from the area that grew in her yard, creating a very unique haven. She also left out little treats for what she called 'fairies.' They had been waiting to see these 'fairies' with no luck though, so they started eating them to make her feel better.

When they realized what she was carrying, both sets of eyes widened in horror. It was primrose.

Ten sneezed. Ten months later she had a baby that looked very like him. It could have belonged to her husband who was similar to Ten's human form though. The cat that had been following her had a litter of kittens much sooner. They never were sure if it was just coincidence, but the family had never wanted for anything afterward, just in case. The cats all ended up having very long lives, and acted a lot like little dragons.

Ten never did live down the fact that the kittens they knew were his.

* * *

The fouth River Matsuri for the Kohakugawa's return . . . 

Kohakunushi and Chihiro were sitting underneath a tree, enjoying each other's warmth and the happiness of the people around them. Or it would probably be more correct to say Haku, as he currently had Nushi tied up in his head and had every intention to steal another kiss from the tantalizingly oblivious woman at his side. He had managed to work his arm around her without being noticed even, but then Ten just had to show up and ruin his chance.

Nushi finally managed to untie himself and take over again, grateful that the spring dragon had shown up when he had. Then the wind shifted and he realized that someone upwind was wearing primrose perfume.

"Primrose! Ten, don't sneeze!"

It was too late, he had already gotten a noseful, and as luck would have it, it was real primrose oil, not cheap synthetic perfume. Time slowed down for the duo, the allergic dragon reaching frantically to cover what he knew was coming. Kohakunushi threw himself in front of his bride, spreading his sleeves as far as he could to shield her from the incoming spray. He succeeded, and Chihiro was spared a very unwanted shower.

He wasn't, poor Kohakunushi received every drop that Ten didn't manage to stop. Words can not describe how violated he felt.

Chihiro found herself on the receiving end of a very nice view, or at least she would have if his clothing didn't hide Haku's contours so well. She wasn't going to complain about it though, she had a good imagination. Even better, she was on break to enjoy the festival. Chihiro could think anything she wanted, as long as Kohakunushi wasn't trying to read her mind again. She had been seated at the time her kami had sprang to her defense, so she was at the perfect height in her opinion.

"Sorry Chihiro, Nushi."

"Uh, ok. I guess. Bless you?"

"Thanks."

"So, I guess you are allergic to primrose then."

"Chihiro, he is so allergic to primrose that it can be very dangerous. He has blown up assignments when we were still going through our training, knocked us over a cliff, and impregnated a cat."

"A cat?"

The wind had shifted again, the primrose woman now safely out of scenting range. BlowingWind and Ryu had the perfect timing though as they made their entrance, and Wind just couldn't help having asked that question.

"Nushi! Must you always tell that story?"

"Consider it revenge, Ten."

Kohakunushi was obviously aggravated that he and Chihiro were interrupted. After all, if things went well, maybe tonight he would get a bit further than he had before. But no, Ten had to go and ruin it, and it would take forever to get Chihiro back into the swing he wanted.

'I wait three years. She's free and clear, and then he just waltzes up and sneezes!'


	39. The Dragon and the Spider

Courting the River Maid Collection

The Dragon and the Spider

Nope, don't own.

Set for in between Chapter Seven and at the beginning of Chapter Eight in 'Rivers Keep Flowing.'

* * *

A river poured his way down the halls and down the lifts, making his way towards the basement, where the boiler room was. The servants all bowed and quickly moved out of his way, recognizing the look on their former master's face. A cold mask that wasunfeeling and wooden, at this point even Kaonashi had more expression than he. 

It was safer to wear this familiar mask than to let others he did not trust enough see his inner turmoil and the arrow that had been shot through his heart.

He was getting strange looks from guests and workers who saw him strolling down to the bowels of the building as if he knew exactly where he was going. The other guests must not have expected him to know his way around here, and the workers must be wondering why he would be coming down here if he no longer worked here. Kohakunushi knew every inch of this place though.

He had been little more than a bird in a golden cage here for long enough that he should. What kind of dragon would he be if he had not known every inch of his prison and place of employment? He wouldn't even be here if this were not the best onsen in all of Asia. His bride deserved the best.

He needed to stop fooling himself and pull out of his delusion. She was only his Priestess. His lovely Nisou had stumbled unwittingly into the position that they now found themselves in.

How in the name of all that is pure could she do that with him if she wasn't going to mate with him though? How could she be such a tease?

The air was redolent with the heat of the furnace and the scent of the burning coal. All around him, the guts of the establishment clanked and ground. It was darker here, and yet the light was also harsher, bare bulbs illuminating the area to reveal the safety hazards while lifts rose and fell.

It did nothing to help his headache that had formed dealing with his emotional distress, and the yelling of his friends. However, there were two things that would cure this headache right on the other side of that teeny tiny door.

Kamaji and his medicine were just waiting for him to 'drop in.'

His hands touched the worn wood, remembering back to when they were much smaller and the door seemed so much bigger. The door had always been small, but it would be even more interesting to crawl through now. Oh well, it wasn't like Kamaji was going to come out of there any time soon. Carefully he slid it back, unsurprised when the old spider didn't even hear him come in.

'Just how old is he I wonder?'

That was certainly an odd thought. He had been having a lot of odd thoughts like that, triggered most likely by his awareness of his Chihiro's own mortality.

"Hello Kamaji."

"Heh?"

The gangly old man looked up from his task of grinding herbs in surprise. The poor spider must not have been getting as many visitors as he used to. Then again, his voice was a little different from the last time Kamaji had heard it. Maybe he just couldn't place it.

Two eyes were hidden behind dark glasses that protected them from the fierce glare of the furnace, sweeping the form of the strange young lord who had found his way to the underbelly of the beast that was Aburaya. Long dark hair both swallowed and reflected the light of the fires, while the currents of heat played with the hem of his ornate robes. The old spider wondered if they would have kept flowing anyway, and they looked so familiar. Maybe he had seen a smaller set once before?

When his eyes reached the face and studied the other's eyes, it clicked who had found him.

"Haku . . . is that you?"

The awe that his friend was looking at him in made Kohakunushi feel very uncomfortable. He was still technically the same, no need to stare slack jawed.

"Yes, it is."

"I had heard from Yoru that you had reserved space for you and Chihiro. I thought it was just another prank that the kitsune was trying to pull. How have the two of you been and where is she?"

The innocent questions just made Haku's head and abused pride hurt all the more. Kneeling in his customary spot in the corner, he rubbed his temple while giving his reply.

"We have both been doing well. Chihiro has finished her college degree and her miko training, and has been promoted in the Shrine hierarchy to Nisou. She is with her friend right now."

"That's not all is it? What's wrong Haku?"

"I have a headache Kamaji, that's all."

"Just a headache? The tone of your voice tells me that there is more. You can tell me."

"We . . . had a misunderstanding."

"Really. What kind of misunderstanding?"

"My advances were rejected."

"Are you sure? Sen doesn't strike me as that kind of girl. She was so in love with you, surely she wouldn't refuse you."

"Well, she didn't exactly refuse me either. I suppose I just read more into our relationship."

While they had been chatting, Kamaji had been mixing the tea to cure a headache. He didn't have anything for heartache, but Haku was strong.

"Did you tell her straight that you wanted her from the start?"

"I thought I had."

Silence fell between the two for a time while the tea brewed. Kamaji kept working, ready to talk at any time, but mostly waiting for the dragon to order his thoughts. Love was a tricky thing, and especially so for spirits who usually didn't feel that emotion. Spirits, in the area of love, were driven by a need to procreate. Humans however, usually were looking for a companion to be with as well as to raise children. With spirits, becoming Mates was as simple as physically mating, impregnating, or making a verbal claim on a female. Humans had a more complex process that could take a great amount of time in some cases.

"Her grandfather had offered her to me as bride. She was given three years to decide, in which she never said no. In fact, she and her body had been calling me virtually every day. I had told her at the start that I would keep her virgin for three years, and that she would be mine. Chihiro even accepted my scales. But, then she was surprised to find that they could not be removed, and even more surprised to find from a friend that it marked her as my mate."

The medicine was ready now, and Haku drank it as quickly as he could. Medicine always tasted terrible, like dirty socks if he were to try and describe it. Not that he had ever eaten dirty socks, but he certainly knew what they smelled like, and his nose was so keen that when he could smell them he could almost taste them. Grimacing, he set the cup down.

"Have you talked to her about it yet? Does she know your feelings?"

Kamaji had turned back around when he said that, and surveyed the downcast visage of the young river spirit in his prime. There was no way any woman in her right mind would turn down a body and face like that, especially when it housed a spirit as devoted as Haku. He had to have surprised her was all, and the dragon was so cryptic and reserved that the poor girl had probably been worried all this time that he did not return her devotion.

'Kids. When will they ever learn to communicate?'

"I don't think so."

"Then tell her! Sweep her off of her feet! Do all of those romantic things that humans crave. But most importantly . . . STOP HIDING BEHIND THAT BLASTED COLD MASK OF YOURS! SHE IS NOT A MIND READER!"

Kohakunushi looked up in shock that anyone other than Lin or Chihiro would dare to raise their voice to him. Chihiro didn't do it often, and when she did, it wasn't so much at him as at the fact she was really mad about Queso and didn't realize that she was yelling. He had heard the old spider yell at others when he had worked here, but never at HIM. He did have a point though, and Ten had always needled him to open up more, always complaining that he was too much like the very deepest currents that hid secrets.

Unexpectedly, laughter started bubbling from his own throat.

"I suppose you want me to do this right now, ne?"

"That would be the general idea, young man."

"Arigato, Kamaji."

"You can pay me back by bringing my little Sen for a visit when she is ready."

"Hai. Sayonara."

The river spirit stood once more, bowing as he gave his thanks before leaving. The old spider spirit wondered exactly how they could have miscommunicated so badly, but figured it was probably none of his business.

The river spirit had already flowed away through the tiny door, retracing his steps and carefully chasing down words that he had tried to string together so long ago. He had a lot of explaining to do, and it would need to be done very carefully. He didn't think he could bear it if he lost her now. His surroundings went unnoticed as he ascended in one of the lifts, eyes focused inward.

As he desperately tried to gather the words, he grew more nervous. Far away at his river, the waters also grew restless, rising and frothing in a few areas. He needed to calm down, or he was going to accidentally cause a flood. But what could he think about that would calm him?

At that time, the aftertaste of the medicine hit him. Although it was already working, it now tasted even more like he had been drinking a tea made of ground up dirty socks. The doors opened on his floor, he having come out of his trance for long enough to ascertain where he was. Gliding down the hallway to where he had last left his beautiful bride-to-be, Kohakunushi's thoughts once more began chasing his tail.

A slender figure in a flattering blue kimono daintily picked her way down the hall towards him. Her sweet scent of rushing rivers and sun-ripened cherries stirred his blood, the fertile earthen field of her body screaming for the rice seed and life giving waters. The sway of her hips and flash of her throat threatened to entrance him. There was plenty of time to brood over his treasure though.

First he had to talk.

"Kohakunushi? Can we talk, Lord?"

The blush on her face had gotten deeper, spreading down her neck. He did not miss the fact that she used the title, and was bemused by the shyness in her eyes. He did not detect true discomfort or disgust at least. Actually, she seemed to be taking it rather well. If he had just realized he had been married for three years due to some scales not wanting to leave the skin, he would not know what to do. Then again, she was strong, a reason he had wanted her. Smiling, he reached for her hand, willing away her shyness.

* * *

Ne - Eh, right. 

Arigato - Thankyou.

Hai - Yes, sure, ok.

Sayonara - Good bye, fare well.


	40. More Games

Courting the River Maid Collection

More Games . . .

A year or two after the conclusion of 'Rivers Keep Flowing' (which is still in progress as this is being written).

* * *

Motherly arms gently lowered the sleeping infant into her crib. A short cap of raven-wing locks fell about the sleeping head. The laughing emeralds that always sparkled with a secret mischief were now closed in nightly repose. Pale skin was stretched over chubby baby-fat deposits on cheeks and elsewhere. The baby's lips were precious pink rose buds, and her tiny hands twin plum blossoms. The round face would one day thin down, somewhere in between that of the watcher's own and that of the young mother. 

It always amazed him to no end that both mother and child had survived the dangerous quest that they had all found themselves embroiled in only a short time ago. The child was truly a gift that could have no parallel, unless it was a similar gift at a later time.

The mother's own chestnut hair was swept up into a prim bun. Once it had been done to keep out a mischievous wind spirit, now it kept her hair safe from the iron grip of a young water dragon halfling. The blue kimono did nothing to hide her curves from him. After all, he knew her body even better than she herself did.

He had been gone for a while again, not willingly though. His responsibilities often pulled him away from his young family, and he wondered how his father had done it before him. Of course, the fact that his own wife was a human nisou did not help matters much, as she had her own duties to attend to. At least there was Kumiro to keep an eye on her while he was gone, even if it had taken quite a bit to convince the priest to move in to the spare quarters.

That had taken a lot of convincing, and Kumiro's girlfriend had broken up with him only a few weeks ago, causing him to be rather morose. Having his two shrine keepers together under the same roof had made it easier to keep them from doing stupid things, but he really hoped that Tsuchiko and Kumiro worked out their differences soon.

Rightly, he shouldn't even be here yet, but as his Chihiro had entered her fertile time once again, her body's cries had brought him to her. Nushi could handle the treaties on his own, and had virtually always done so. So, Haku was going to make use of his ability to disengage himself completely from time to time, and he was going to enjoy it tonight too. Just a little longer to wait, and little Gawakusa would be securely in dreamland and impervious to the noises he intended to bring from the human woman who was her mother. The best part was, that he wouldn't have to share her with his more docile half this time.

He ducked out of view as Chihiro turned around to leave their pup's nursery. Dragons tended to sleep with their young until they were at least 20 years, but humans seemed to need more time to themselves. Not like he minded, Haku had no complaints against getting her to himself at night . . . well, most nights anyway. Sometimes a certain little half dragon would escape her crib and be found with them in the morning.

Chihiro didn't think it was so funny though. Gawakusa was still breastfeeding and had sharp teeth. The little one may look very human, but she definitely ate with all the relish of a baby dragon. Haku was very glad that he was male, the breast sessions had to hurt when their baby was very hungry. Chihiro was very brave, he surely would not have had the guts to dare let their pup suckle on him.

"I know you're there Haku. I felt you approach the Shrine Grounds."

'Well, so much for the element of surprise.'

"You're getting better."

"With all of the practice that you, Ten, and Kumiro are making me do, I should."

Her yawn did not escape him, even though she tried to disguise it as they strolled down the hall to the room that they now shared. The wall between their rooms had been removed to enlarge them into a single room, since they would need morespace for sleeping. Even when he curled around his treasure, a dragon did need a certain amount of room. Most of the time that wasn't a problem . . . but there were times when he preferred to have her in his coils instead of his arms.

He was just going to have to wake her up a little bit more. She hadn't been getting enough attention to herself lately, and he was adamant that his mate and favorite yorishiro receive the proper . . . offerings.

"We just worry about you."

"I know. What are you doing here though? Isn't Nushi going to get mad that you snuck off again?"

"What makes you think that I snuck off?"

The dry look that his mate gave him as she went through the open door that he held for her was priceless. She was just so much fun to play with!

"Haku, your eyes are a harsher color than Nushi has, your stance is a bit cockier, you lurk more than he does, and both of you told me that you didn't expect to be back for two months. It's only been one month. When he catches you, the next time I'll see you it will be back in the river caverns in your mind, probably tied up yet again."

Haku couldn't keep off the smirk as he shut the door to their room.

"Then I had better make full use of what time I still have with you. Would you deny a tired and traveling kami respite within his favorite yorishiro?"

She still hadn't fully recovered from her last night with the Aramitama of her beloved Kohakunushi. It had been about two months since she had been alone with this aspect, and she still bore his mark on her thigh from when he got a little overexcited. However, the pitiful face made it impossible for her to say that she would. She couldn't anyway, she would be lying if she said that she didn't enjoy his . . . attentions. Nushi was much gentler, and always seemed to be wary of straining her too much.

"Uh. Can we play first?"

* * *

One hour later . . . 

Chihiro and Haku were sitting on the bed, playing poker. Behind Chihiro, there was a rather sizable pile of Haku's clothes that she was using as a back rest in conjunction with their headboard. Haku had just tossed his hakama in a little pile between the two of them on the center of the bed.

"I'll see that, and raise you my slipper."

Chihiro sniggered as she said that, tossing in a lacy set of panties since she wasn't wearing pants today, as well as the mentioned slipper.

Haku grunted as he met his wife's bet, adding his last article of clothing in with his hakama, which was definitely no slipper, and they showed each other their cards. He knew he should have folded when he had the chance. All he had was three 5's.

Chihiro had a full house. Haku had lost quite royally, and what had he gained? His wife down only by one slipper since she had just won the pool for this round. How cosmically unfair, and she was grinning at him, obviously finding the whole thing completely amusing.

'First Go before the river, then Chess later on, and now it's Poker that she beats me at?'

"Ok, that's it, my cheeky little Priestess. New game."

Patience only lasted so long with any Aramitama, and Haku was no different. Forgetting about the cards, or the location of his clothing, the dragon in human guise pounced on the 'helpless little human.' She was ready for him though. Their wrestling matches were also teaching her a few things. She knew where his ticklish spots were. Chihiro didn't expect him to cheat though.

She gave up when he got her in the lip lock.

In his sleeping quarters at the end of the hall, Kumiro had been woken up by their newest game. It always surprised him that Gawakusa could sleep through all the racket those two made. Then again, with the adventure that she had been on in utero, Gawakusa could probably sleep through anything.

One very distressed Shrine Keeper dug his earplugs back out of his beside table. Did they always have to forget that he didn't have a girlfriend and torture him with their pleasure?

'I hope she gets pregnant again. Then maybe I'll have a month of peace at night.'

* * *

Two hours later . . .Window panes rattled as a large white dragon set down outside the humble living quarters for the groundskeepers. His white scales seemed as pearls in the light of a very full moon while his teal mane blew wildly in the winds. A tail and whiskers thrashed wildly in agitation as he scented that his prey was indeed in the building. 

'That little . . .'

A very unamused dragon was he!

With a snort the very put-out water god assumed his human shape, remembering that his Chihiro did not appreciate the floorboards or the tatami getting torn up by his claws. He had enough problems tonight to risk finding his mate's morning offerings being stuffed with wasabi again. As Nushi stalked up to the doors, they slid open before him, leaving his way clear to the lair he shared with his mate.

'If he played too rough again, I swear I'll . . .'

Having prowled to his door, it also hurriedly opened to him. Revealing the secrets of this inner sanctum, the door gaped wide, only to shut again when Nushi was inside.

There on the bed, tangled up with Chihiro, was one very sated Aramitama. However, he was not without his 'war wounds.' She also had played rather rough it seemed. Slowly and carefully, so as not to wake his sleeping mate, he untangled the pair. That blasted Aramitama of his knew they were supposed to finish the negotiations with the new tributary stream that was forming. After all, his new little brother needed to be provided for, as well as Ten's coming pup. While they were very young was the time to get the paperwork taken care of so that they would not get cheated later on in life.

As Nushi was trying to get Haku's arms off of Chihiro's waist, said Aramitama lazily cracked open one eye. Of course, it had a very lecherous twinkle in it, one of those looks that just screamed, 'I ate her ALL up, and there's none left for you.' He was a cheeky devil, but to be fair, Nushi had done the same from time to time.

"Don't look at me in that tone. You know very well we had agreed to wait and give her a little longer without having to share her body with yet another passenger."

Nushi's hisses didn't phase his Aramitama, nor did it wake the priestess.

"Can I help these Breeding Urges? This is the first egg that she released since the pup. You know very well it is impossible to not go to your mate when she is fertile."

With a growl, Nushi yanked his smug other half off of the bed, Haku quickly letting go of Chihiro in surprise and fear of waking her. Still growling, the Nigimitama started dragging his now incredulous Aramitama out the bedroom door.

"Nushi! Can I at least get dressed?"

With a death glare, the Nigimitama absorbed his Aramitama. As Chihiro had warned, within the depths of his mind Nushi tied up Haku and left him, in a rather chilly room no less.

* * *

Yorishiro - one of the many words used for a kami's vessel. I chose this one because it is the more temporary of the many. 

Boy I hope this combated the cheesyness of the last entry. But, like I said, that one refused to die! I believe I shall use it for some Chihiro/Haku embarrassment later on.


	41. A DragonCat's Eye View

Courting the River Maid

A Dragon-Cat's Eye View

Spirited Away,Zeniba,Haku and Chihiro are property of Hayao Miyazaki. I wonder how many people have asked to buy Haku from him . . .

A comedic look at the state of Haku's River Shrine, through the eyes of the Shrine cat. Cat makes a few cameo appearances in some of my stories as Chihiro's pet, and I thought it might be fun to have a cat's eye view of what goes on long after the river is restored and Chihiro/Haku have met up again.

* * *

Hello, my name is Cat. My owners gave me that name as a joke, since it is an English word meaning neko. Not the most creative of names, but given all that was going on in their lives at the time I came to their door at least I have one. When a witch by the name of Zeniba contacted me for a familiar's help, my community was in the full grip of two projects. The biggest one that made the news the most was the restoral of the Kohaku River, or Kohakugawa as we say here in Hokkaido. The second was ultimately more important but was not widely known. In honor and repayment for what had been done to the river so long ago, the Elders had somehow managed to get money to build a shrine for his worship. Legend says that there was one in the area many generations ago, but I'm not that old so I have no idea, although many of the spirits here confirm the truth of it.

The woman that I actually belong to is a human who goes by Chihiro, Chi or Sen and is currently a very busy Nisou at the Kohakugawa Jinja. This is the reason that Zeniba had contacted me in the first place, although only the Spirit of Mystery knows how she knew about me. Zeniba needed someone to watch out for her adopted granddaughter as the little thing had not found out about her own power yet. She keeps stomping on it and shoving it in the deepest corner of her mind every time it starts to stir, I guess it scares her for some reason. She started out as a Miko, which is a female assistant for the rituals, but after a while it was time to promote her to a leadership priestessrole since the shrine was so busy and only had one ancient priest capable of leading.

By the way, she has one doozy of a crush on our kami. It is very mutual. I can not tell you how many times that I have wandered into her room at night hunting mice, imps, and other small youkai only to find him making the most ridiculous faces at her while she is sleeping. Nigihayami Kohakunushi is a dragon for crying out loud, and if he wants her that badly then he should just take her. Trust me, her screams would be the exact opposite of no. Her power ties in with this somehow, so maybe she is afraid to tell him what she really thinks of him.

Speaking of Mr High and Mighty too Dang Busy to Stick Around, that dragon has one heck of a complex. I think he has a split personality or something, because one moment he can be all happy and disturbingly bubbly, and then the next the darn river is threatening to flood the countryside because somehow his feelings have been hurt. Kami in charge of natural features are so confusing with their ambiguity and nearly complete amorality. I think his problems spring from a deep seated insecurity and sexual repression, not to mention that he can be rather anal-retentive about some things that ultimately have little to do with honor or sanity.

Would you look at that, I made a pun without meaning to. His problems _spring_, like what feeds his river. Never mind, it wasn't very good. I guess I've been eating too many lust demons. After Queso's near daily harrassment, this place just teems with them. At least they have gotten fewer since Chihiro put a restraining order on him.

Thank goodness that I have read my mistress' old school books, because it really helps me to understand that crazy spirit we all serve. Yes, I can read. My great-great-great-grandfather just so happens to be the dragon attending the local well-spring, so I can do many things that poor normal cats can't do. Like read, communicate telepathically, and perform some minor magic. I don't let the humans here know about it though. Can you imagine the mess if they found out that I am one of Ten's semi-legendary descendants? The girls would certainly stop petting me, because I happen to have a bit of a drooling problem that I inherited from him.

I think Chihiro might already know though, because she is always joking about my problem and remarking on how much I like to swim. The dratted volcano dragon probably figured it out already too, because he was sniffing me for a week after I showed up while the women weren't looking. Blast his sense of smell.

Speaking of the Walking Breeding Frustration he has had a rather short temper lately. I think it has something to do with his mate still being afraid to let him mount her. She wears anti-fertility charms to keep Ryu away from the Golden Palace, and when a dragon is kept away from a desired lair it can get messy. He has her do a lot of dancing in their rooms right now, because somehow he has gotten jealous of the sun. Yes, of all things to be jealous of, it is the sun but this is not funny. Well, maybe it's a little funny except it is too easy to make a dragon jealous and since he is directly connected to a magma tongue under Mount Fuji a temper tantrum causes earthquakes. If you want to know how many times BlowingWind has chickened out of mating, just count the quakes on Honshu.

BlowingWind is a bit of a mystery to me. She isn't from anywhere in Japan either, but from America. I have no idea why she is here, and she won't talk about it either, even with her mate. True, they haven't consummated yet because she keeps getting scared of something, but she wears his scale on her arm up where she can hide it. Why she's hiding the fact that she's a married woman from her best friend I have no idea, but it might have something to do with Chihiro still being single, even though we all know that she's spoken for. The American is a really nice woman and she plays that guitar of hers so well, but its really creepy how sometimes you can find her up in a tree crying when she thinks everyone is asleep. I'd like to talk to her about it, but if she won't even tell Ryu when he comes out to coax her down then what chance do I have?

There are two other humans who work at this shrine. The eldest is Chihiro's ancient grandfather, and that old man has some weird connections. He is a hereditary priest, so that might be part of it, and he served in the military when he was younger, so that gave him even more odd connections. Then throw in the fact that many spirits in the area will actually talk to him, and you have quite an odd network of acquaintenances. The weirdest one is this Higurashi guy from Tokyo's Sunset Shrine. But how those two know each other is a whole other story.

The second one is Chihiro's working partner, a young man who goes by the name Kumiro. At first he can seem really perverted, but he is actually a decent guy. He really cares for my mistress, and is constantly getting aggravated with how little time our kami spends with the priestess that does not count as possession. I don't think it's wise to argue with a river spirit, but Kumiro will march right into the Honden where the main yorishiro is kept and will have loud arguments about how he needs to be even less ambiguous with Chihiro because she is focusing on her work so much that she is losing herself. He often comes out rather bruised, the statue stomps him quite a bit. Why the yorishiro is a statue, I have no idea and neither does the kami.

Thank the Ancestral Kami for Kumiro. Besides, he brings me fish and catnip. In return, I convince the electricity imp living in the clothes dryer to burn, rip, or steal Ryu's clothes. He deserves it anyway, always stealing my catnip and my mistress' chocolate and soda to lock them away. We wouldn't get so much if he would quit that.

We have children that work here too for their community service requirement, but turnover is really high. Quite a few expect to see stuff like flying heads, evil demons to be purified, youkai running around in true form, and outright magic. I blame anime like Sailor Moon, Inuyasha, and that Spirit Detective one. It isn't that we don't get our fair share of that nonsense, it is just that we are supposed to hide it. Can you imagine the global panic if everyone found out that not only are demons real, most of the most influential positions on the planet are occupied by them? The rest are filled with power hungry humans too stupid for their own good with itchy button fingers, and so this news would probably break out World War III. So we don't let newbies even know about that stuff, just sweep and chant kiddies.

I suppose I should go more into what kami are worshipped here. Of course Nigihayami Kohakunushi, that overly busy workaholic dragon, is one since this is his shrine. Petitions can also be made to Amaterasu here, who is the goddess of the sun. Maybe that is why Ryu gets so jealous, that morning greeting to the sun that is done. Of course, my illustrious ancestor Izumi Ten can also be prayed to here, and he has been responsible for all of the babies conceived since he has been brought back into public knowledge. They aren't his babies, he just used a little magical boost to be sure that those wanting children got them.

We must not forget Nigihayami Tatsu. He is the keeper of the sacred mountain that filters all of our water, which then wells up from the sacred spring to be transported back to the sea by Haku. He is also the reason why we get so many helpful storms to keep our water level up and skies clean. He brings the storms to us. Of course, serious snowboarders in the area pray to him for safety when they go about their hobby. How that got started I have no clue, but I guess it does sort of make sense.

He has a mate, one Nigihayami Nyuuhakushoku. She evaporates the sea water and uses it to brew the storms that she sends to us. In a way, you could say that she is the source of life for this area, since she is the one that sends us the water that falls out of the sky and into the system that is set up. Quite a responsibility, and because of this she is not seen very often. I hear that she is quite an exotic beauty though, and extremely nice even if shy.

Sarutahiko is acknowledged as well, and he is the leader of all the Earthly Kami as Amaterasu leads the Heavenly Kami. It is through Sarutahiko that our beloved emperor traces his lineage to our lovely sun goddess. Thankfully, there aren't any more worshipped here, there is enough to do as it is. I shiver to think how busy the Tsubaki Jingu at Ise is with not just the Imperial Kami but all others as well to acknowledge. Haku certainly looks tired every time he comes back from the yearly gathering there in the tenth month, and quite a bit of him lurks around for a month after brooding over my mistress.

Ah! Here she comes now, although she looks rather wet. Falling into the river seems to be happening to her a lot lately, she can be quite the clutz when not feeling well. Personally, I think it has to do with overworking herself and not telling the others. If you watch carefully, you will see her turn around at the top of the embankment and heave a sigh. Be careful though, or you will startle her and she'll fall right back into the river. You would then have to deal with one pissed off kami, as he hates it when people eavesdrop on them. Let's get out of here before she registers we are here.

Besides, I smell some cheese coming, and where there is cheese, mice and lust demons follow. I need to get back to earning my keep, or Haku will turn my gorgeous black fur blue. There are too many spirits wandering around guarding the place to slack off for too long.


	42. The Wounded Bird

Courting the River Maid

The Wounded Bird

Spirited Away,Zeniba,Haku and Chihiro are property of Hayao Miyazaki. I wonder how many people have asked to buy Haku from him . . .

---------------------------------------

Spring filled the air with birdsong and flower perfumes as breezes danced among the trees. Chihiro paused in the pruning she was doing, noticing the gloom resting upon the shoulders of her fellow priestess. The short haired woman had been lost in the same bonsai plant for a half hour now, the occasional muffled sniffle all that betrayed life in her statuesque pose.

BlowingWind was like this every year around the same time, and it seemed that only Ryu was ever capable of retrieving her soul from the deep cave it would hide in every May. Chihiro wondered what had caused her friend to slide so quickly into this grievous state. Moving closer, the River Maiden found that the Volcano Maiden was clutching to her breast a tiny bird, dead many hours, which Cat had somehow not yet found. Creeping even closer to her friend, Chihiro could now hear the woman praying and honoring the tiny little bird, who's nest had surely been so near and yet so far when it expired. Silent tears carved gullies down stony features, and her choice was made.

Rearranging her blue hakama, the River Maiden set out to find the resident volcano kami in hiding.

It didn't take long to find Ryu, as he was currently attending to the small sakura orchard that the river kami had insisted be planted on the shrine grounds. The volcano kami made an impressive sight as the wind rufled his wild black mane and the blue and white gi of Kohakugawa Jinja.

"Ryu."

"Hello Chihiro. What does you grandfather want now?"

"It's not Ji-san. BlowingWind is lost in her mind again."

A sad smile flitted across Ryu's face for an instant before he replied.

"I'll be right there. Why don't you go sit by the river for a while. I'm sure that Kohaku would be glad of the company and you have been too busy with work lately to spend much time there."

The disguised dragon waited until he was sure his human friend was down by the river, then flowed with the grace of his hidden magma river towards where he felt his priestess and betrothed. Once more and for probably at least the sixth time this May she was lost in dark thoughts. These were coming less frequently than when he had first met her, but it still hurt him to only be able to lend such little aid to her healing heart. Ryu was not sure completely of what had caused her such ruin, but the tears in the night always told him there was once another that she would rather have been possessed by.

He found her in the courtyard, crouched by the bonsai that was her favorite. Once, in the privacy of their shared room, she had told him she loved it so because it housed a nest of birds that were plentiful back where she had grown up. Ryu had once met the spirit of Mount Shasta, and so knew very well how plentiful wrens were over there. Now though, what brought her joy seemed to be triggering her sorrow. He could not see what was clutched in her hands, but the smell told him clearly what it was and caused his throat to constrict for his little human.

"Thinking again 'Wind?"

Muffled sobs were the answer that she gave him as he continued to carefully draw closer. Ryu would have to be soft in this matter, or risk her bolting as she had done so any times before when grief and homesickness became too much for her. Seeing that her body was unharmed did little to soothe the magma lord's nerves though. Her aura had that ripped and battered quality that it did when he had first seen her, and the beautiful spiritual wings that flared fro her back when viewing conditions were right for the spirit were broken and torn.

"Did you want to talk about it?"

By now, he had settled on the paving stones of the courtyard in an ages old position. Gingerly, he pulled her into his lap, expected her to either run from him or lash out in pain. Instead, the woman lost no time in burrowing into his broad chest. Her tears, warm and salty, kissed his work kimono and were snatched away by the fabric as thirsty for liquid as the pair was for each other's love.

"It might make you fell better if you do my Little One."

"Just hold me Ryu. Don't let go. I couldn't take being left behind again."

"I'll never leave you, my lovely BlowingWind. I am always yours. Call when you need me, and I'll move mountains if you need. Ask, and I will fly a thousand miles through phoenix territory just for you."

"I am so afraid."

Ryu didn't get to find out what her fear was though. The strain of hiding it had worn the woman out and she fell asleep in the safety of the spirit's grasp. Trustingly, her aura opened to him, seeking his solace even as the body rested. As her body relaxed, the grip upon what she held cradled so carefully loosened and he could see the baby bird, obviously long dead. Carefully, he gained his feet and carried her to their bedroom.

"Whatever you are afraid of, I will never let happen. I don't know who left you or why, but I will always be with you. What more do I have to do to prove it to you Shy One?"

At last, he tucked her into their futon and placed a reverential kiss upon her slumbering brow. Stealthily, the dragon removed the empty shell of the baby bird from the Shaman's hands. Wind had always had a soft spot for wrens as she used to watch them with her mother according to the few stories that she told about her family past. To have found that one of the new hatchlings had died so close to its home and yet so far could only have brought pain to the soft hearted maiden.

"Always and forever, we will be One my BlowingWind. I just wish I knew how to heal your wounds better."

Backing away and standing up, he nearly missed the whispered reply as she answered him in her sleep.

"I have flown from my nest. I wish I had gathered the courage to say good bye to Mother."

Ryu softly closed the shoji to give her privacy as she rested. The frown marring his face would stay for a long while as he pondered why his little bird would have run away from her homeland without saying farewell.

"What could wound a woman so deeply to drive her so far away?"

Ryu needed a swim now, but to do so would be risking passing this new information to his river friend. Haku had enough to worry about. Perhaps after finishing his chores he would climb the mountain for a bit.

Leaving the shrine grounds, Ryu found a nice place upriver to bury the little bird. If he pricked his ears just the tiniest bit, he could hear Chihiro laughing as the river tickled her toes. It was a gae the two loved to play. The maiden sat on a rock, and the river strove to pull her to himself without hurting her or being seen by any onlookers.

"Fly on little birds."


	43. Cherries

Courting the River Maid

Cherries

Spirited Away,Zeniba,Haku and Chihiro are property of Hayao Miyazaki. I wonder how many people have asked to buy Haku from him . . .

Review responses for all stories back to the month of July have been posted at livejournal. The link to my live journal is in my bio.

----------------

BlowingWind had slept the rest of the day yesterday, and Ryu had stayed in their room brooding over her. Today though, there was no evidence of the anguish the woman had been feeling.

Midday found Chihiro leaning against a small oak tree, sharing a small basket of cherries with her friend as they contemplated the tiny sakura orchard that Ryu and Koji were puttering in. Cherries were not in season, but they had been a gift from their friend in the local construction company. The treat of eating such a cherished fruit so early in the year did much to sedate the two women.

Nearby, the river hummed distractedly to itself as it tumbled over stones slowly becoming polished with his continuous journey to the sea. It never ceased to amaze Chihiro how moody the feature seemed. By this, she could tell what kind of day her kami was having, even though visitors to the shrine never believed the tales of long ago happenings or of rivers walking among men.

A shower of pink drifted suddenly in the stirred breeze, a sign that the local wind kami was abandoning his work for a time in order to play. Sure enough, not a moment later the girls found their hair being tied in knots or wrested out of precise coils.

"Why must you keep bothering us?"

Chihiro's calm question broke the silence, drawing the male's attention to the harried looking women. Now residing in their hair were various petals, twigs, and windblown refuse.

Not missing a beat, Ryu plucked a bloom from the tree he was beside. Smilingly he made his way to the women, cutting off what BlowingWind was preparing to scream at the wind spirit.

"That is a good look for you BlowingWind. It reminds me of the day that you finally accepted my help. Chihiro doesn't wear foliage so well though I am afraid."

As he tucked the cherry blossom behind BlowingWind's ear, the woman could not hide the fierce blush. Chihiro was amused by her friend's wordlessness, but wisely decided to stay silent and see if her friend would accept the flattery. Several minutes passed for the group as the Shaman watched her memories, the flush deepening with every passing second. At last though, the spell was broken when the cherry she had been holding slipped out of her fingers to land in her lap.

"I have to admit that perhaps it isn't so bad to be taken care of. Just don't do that again."

"Do what again? This?"

Ryu snapped up the forgotten cherry faster than the mortal eye could see and had slipped the succulent fruit into the woman's still slightly open mouth. Her suprise caused her to shut her jaws completely, crushing the fruit and filling her mouth with the blood-red juice. With a squeak, she lunged for the cold waters of the river in order to quell the rising tide of heated blood.

This of course had left Chihiro and Koji to stare after the embarrassed woman with raised eyebrows.

"What was that about?"

Ryu smiled enigmatically at the human woman that his promised one called her best friend. She would understand the gestures some day, but the meanings were best explained by her own kami.

"Cherries are a fruit of love. Her reaction is better when it's fresh deer's liver, but there wasn't really time to go hunting for her favorite food."

As Ryu went back to tending the trees, Chihiro looked down at the ripe fruit shining in the sun. Would she ever have someone flirt so openly with her and be so lovingly heart-felt about it?


	44. Cradle

Courting the River Maid

Cradle

By LadyRainStarDragon

Disclaimer: Spirited Away,Zeniba,Haku and Chihiro are property of Hayao Miyazaki. I wonder how many people have asked to buy Haku from him . . .

A few years after the end of "Rivers Keep Flowing."

Once more, review responses can be found at livejournal. Search rainstardragon.

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A peaceful river scene played across the walls, protectively encircling the nursery. They had painted it themselves shortly after returning home from their long adventure for their first little one. Now, it was time to ready the room again for a small companion to their beautiful toddler.

Across the room from Gawakusa's toddler bed, Kumiro had already placed the willow cradle. It had been a gift from the oldest local willow tree, delighted about the River Lord's good fortune for finally having conceived a son. Crisp white linen lay neatly folded in the willowy embrace, waiting for the forming dragon to nest safely within.

Her feet carried her softly over to the rocking chair secreted in the far corner, her body flowing in the manner that she had unconsciously picked up from her husband. The blues and whites of her kimono mixed in with each other like hot and cold water, mirroring the textures of her thoughts. So far, the pregnancy had gone normally, but she still worried that she would not be as lucky with this one as the last. After all, Jewel had given birth to a lump of flesh that split open to reveal an actual dragon. BlowingWind had given birth directly to a small dragon before she had gone on her journey. True, Gawakusa looked human to the untrained eye, but what other possibilities lay before her?

"Here you are koi."

Her mate's utterance from the door way was more of a courtesy than anything. As long as she was on the Shrine grounds or near to his river he would instinctively know where she was. However, Kohakunushi made allowances for his human wife's need for privacy and the appearance of normal human life.

"Hai."

Looking at him, she saw the mixture of joy and fear as he glanced from her to the cradle. She was obviously not the only one with worries about her brooding condition. Although he still appeared to be very young, he had lost more of his figurative roundness and had begun to look even more like his honorable father. She could not put her finger on how he looked older, he just seemed to be older.

"You should eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Kumiro says that you didn't eat breakfast or lunch."

"It wouldn't have stayed down anyway."

A carefully concealed sigh escaped through his nose, the sound covered over by his bare feet on the pine and tatami floor as he rolled towards her.

"You will eat."

Childishly, Chihiro shook her head. He had become more authoritarian towards her over these past several months. He knew to the day when she had become pregnant, and he had not bothered to tell her until she had wondered aloud why she was so sick in the mornings. Six months now had passed by, yet she was still angry with him.

"Make me."

His measured steps paused, and anger flashed across his face for a moment, replaced quickly with an unreadable look that she had not seen before. Had she perhaps gone too far in her currently uncontrollable moodiness?

The plate of onigiri had hitherto gone unnoticed by his Chihiro, and he intended to keep it that way. Moving with all the speed of his fastest currents, he was at her side nearly before his next words left his mouth.

"If you insist."

His eyes glittered as he took a bite of one of the balls of rice, then his lips pressed against hers. The food was forced into her mouth faster than she could protest, and when he drew away he laughingly met with her glaring eyes. Stubbornly, her cheeks were puffed out as she refused to chew or swallow the "treat" and the way her brows had drawn together he could not help but think of the bitter little berry that he had shoved in her mouth so long ago.

"You did tell me to make you eat, koi."

--------------

Sapphire eyes stared at the mural that she was cleaning, the archaeologist still suffering from the dejavu that overcame her each time she found a new artifact in the ancient temple. This place had motifs of the same dragon seemingly everywhere, although only one mural in the entire place had been of Quetzalcoatl. The shining turquiose eyes always fascinated her, and there were times that she could swear someone was watching her or calling her name. Yet, every time she looked around, all the others would be hard at work.

They were busy, just like now.

Shaking the fantasies of dragon-flight out of her head once more, Jewel went back to carefully cleaning the ancient walls to glean more understanding of this once great culture. A golden glint at her left wrist distracted her once more, and unconsciously her right hand strayed to the opalescent scale of moonlight bound around her neck. She had no idea where she had gotten the necklace, just as she had no idea why she had been so drawn to the little cradle charm in the jewelry shop the day she had awoken in Mexico City Hospital.

Once more she felt a presence behind her, whispering her name. More prescisely it was two presences, but more than likely it was just her overactive imagination once more.

"Jewel."

The noise had caused her to jump, to whirl about like a cornered cat, and face her personal haunt. What met her eyes instead of empty space and confused students turned out to be her mysterious patron. His choclatey skin and dark hair was not so unusual for this area, but his eyes were. They did not seem to know which color to be, for some days they were a river-mud brown while other days they would be that same haunting turquoise that produced such strange feelings in her chest when she contemplated the murals.

"Did I startle you Little One?"

Jewel did not reply, too entranced by the muscular and lean form hidden underneath khakis. A little green iguana hissed from his shoulder, clearly annoyed that she was paying no attention to his preening of his lovely scales. It was the "iguana's" leap from the patron's shoulder to her head that woke her from her trance, and while she blushed he made a nest out of her long hair.

"I suppose I was too focused on my work."

"Perhaps. Or perhaps not focused enough. Otherwise, I think you would have remembered that it was time for my annual review of your findings. Would you care to discuss them over dinner? I have provided fresh fish, and will even bake them myself by the fire."

As he smiled into her eyes, Jewel couldn't help but allow the blush to deepen. The aroma of chocolate covered coffee beans filled her nose so strongly she could taste it, and easily she gave in to his request.

"I would like that."

"Then why don't we go now? The others have already called it quits for the day."

Indeed, her undergrads already had, having shaken their heads an hour ago at the one they had nicknamed "High Priestess of the Jungle" for her ability to forget about herself after a new find.

"I hadn't noticed."

Her benefactor gently took her left hand, smiling as the setting sun glinted off of his scale and the little cradle charm that graced her wrist. Jewel's breath stilled at the contact, and she let him inspect her treasure. After a moment, her voice returned.

"What are you doing?"

"Merely admiring the beauty of your cradle. However, it is not nearly as beautiful as you."

He brought her hand to his lips then, and a thrill went through her at the further contact. Three years ago she would have scoffed at herself, and yet it somehow seemed right. He had been at her side the day that she woke up, and apparently had saved her from the poachers that had kidnapped her. He had been with her when she found out her mother was missing and presumed dead, and had comforted her. He had also funded her expedition back here, saying he was most interested in having her learn the secrets of the ancient city. Over these three years, he had come to visit her far more than once a year, although only once a year would he discuss business with her.

"Huetziatl. . ."

"Marry me. Be mine and bear me children. In return, I will care for you and you will never want for anything."

"Yes."

The word had slipped out of her mouth before she could even think. Huetziatl Coatl whooped in victory, and even his little iguana chirped with joy and excitement, leaping from her hair to dance on the ground. As she watched him though, she saw the intelligence in his eyes and wondered not for the first time if Quetzal was more than he seemed.

---------------------

Ryu solemnly entered the Great Hall of the Sacred Spring realm, bearing his gift for his friend's coming pup. Time had worn a little at his youthful features, leaving dark hollows beneath his eyes while he still mourned his mate's passing. BlowingWind had left her body behind only a year after the birth and disappearance of their son, wasting away to the grief that filled her even though her grown child had been her treating physician. Her illness had been one of the spirit, her wound being that she had not gotten to see little Ob grow into the man he had become.

Still, he had faith that she would return to him. After all, at her hearing, King Yama had declared that as she fell under his influence after having mated one of Japanese descent, she would spend seven years serving to sooth the sorrows of other women who had lost their children. After that task was done, BlowingWind would have unlocked fully her own inner kami nature that all humans possessed, and would be allowed to take up once more her place at Ryu's side. Only a short time to go, and they could have a family in peace, mixing human and spirit in the Spirit World.

Ten himself bore the effects of several sleepless nights lately, his soul-mate being one of those female dragons that tended to lash out at any who approached the nest. Her decades long sojourn within the decaying body of a human female had affected her somewhat adversely, causing her to be far more prone to hormonal shifts than most other females of draconic soul origin. Still, he was grateful to have found her at last, and the forest around his spring and along his friend's river had quickly accepted their proper mistress once more.

"It's good to see you again, Ryu."

"Hai, good to see you as well."

Ryu passed his friend the silken bag that had been filled with precious diamonds found within his heated and pressurized realm. Ten bowed his thanks and with a wave of his hand a simple yet tasteful repast awaited their consumption. Silently, the males ate within the vast cradle of life, each contemplating their future and the future of the others. When the food was finished and cleared away with another sweep of the Spring Lord's hand, one of Ryu's thoughts slipped through the wall he had erected around it.

"I miss her."

"We all do, Ryu. But I think you and Chi miss her the most. I'm sure that she misses you also."

"No, I doubt that. She was always so independent, never wanting to show her wounds and insisting that she needed no help but her own."

"And yet who did she cry for when she would wake from her nightmares?"

Ryu gazed at the natural columns holding the ceiling of the caverns up, trying to forget the anguished cries of his love. The last year of her life she had been plauged by nightmares of what was happening in some other time-line, and always she would scream his name. It had broken his heart that there was nothing he could do but to hold her and remind her how right everything was in the version of reality that they existed in.

A gust of wind blew through the underground caverns. No normal wind was it, for no winds could penetrate through the earth and water between them and the open sky. As the wind grew stronger, he could almost feel lips against his own, and that delicious earth and cinnamon scent filled his nose again. All too soon though the wind passed on and vanished, leaving the young magma lord behind an audible promise.

"Just a little more time my love."

Ryu's hand traveled to his lips, eyes wide in surprise. Ten watched with a smirk on his face as the other dragon regained his composure. After BlowingWind was able to return to him, Ten was quite sure that Ryu was going to be fathering more pups.


	45. Trick or Treat: Halloween Tribute

Courting the River Maid

Trick or Treat : Halloween Tribute

By LadyRainStarDragon

The first Halloween at the Shrine. I was going to post it on Halloween, but I didn't get to write it in time. Last minute stuff, and then a surprise wedding.

Replies for all stories (fictionpress, fanfiction, aff)in live journal under rainstardragon.

* * *

The wind blows through the Standing Stones,  
And dragons take to wing.  
I dance through the forest dark homes,  
Spiraling the Faerie's Ring! 

The old year is ended and laid now to burn,  
And so the Wheel turns.  
The dead to us happily return  
While Mother's Cauldron churns!

The young voice rang across the shrine grounds, rife with all the wonder and excitement common to any eight year old in America or the British Isles on the day of the old Celtic Year's closure. However, this was no child pealing out the old family carol; but an adult far from her home. She, like Chihiro, had a special plot that she cultivated, growing the corn, beans, squash, and potatoes that her ancestors had done before her. The foreign plants had done well here in the hallowed soil, and the same could be said of the other wandering seed blown across the sea that was currently filling the air with jubilant song.

This time of year I need no trance!  
Around the bonfire hot and bright  
We will dance Creation's Dance  
All the Samhain night!

Fearlessly I'll leap the dancing blaze  
In the spirit of all my kin  
I'll whirl onward though this maze  
That hides deep within.

I will dance the Spiral Dance  
Whirling in to Death  
I will gaily caper and out prance,  
Again with Life's Breath.

If you hear the Hounds' voices bay  
cross the misty moor,  
Greet ye without fear the Lady Fey  
That knocks upon your door.

Dance with the Witches and the Fey,  
Dance with the Dragons  
And Dance by the Gypsie's Wagons.  
Dance with the Lady Grey.

Her chores had been finished with remarkable speed, causing the resident volcano dragon to chuckle indulgently as the woman tore around the shrine grounds. A keen observer of humans, Ryu was used to his favorite human's exuberant mannerisms at this time of year. This was the first year that Chihiro got to spend the whole of Halloween Day with the immigrant though, and so it was quite the shock for her. Akin to Chihiro's fastidious observation of Bon, this was the time that BlowingWind's Ancestors would be most accessible to her.

The curious visitor to the usually serene Kohakugawa Jinja would find the American answer to the Miko busy now with the last few lowering minutes before dark happily putting the finishing touches on her latest Jack O'Lantern. The large ghost white pumpkin was carved on one side with a hideously frightful image rather reminiscent of a rather constipated dragon something the woman was adamant would frighten away any malicious spirit. The other was an equally indulgent image of the same dragon. Ryu was slightly affronted by her choice of inspiration, but the Shaman refused to carve a different pumpkin.

After all, what could frighten away evil spirits better than a grumpy dragon? Two technically, but Kohakunushi was not expected home for a few more days, as he was busy with the Kami no Kawa no Shinanogawa. Who knew why he had been summoned, but he had felt it necessary to inform Koji of his whereabouts by a dream vision.

Of course, Ryu's initial objection to the snarling image that could only be presumed as himself was returned with a home-grown squashful of gooey pumpkin guts by a foreigner engaged in raucous laughter. This necessitated Ryu to take a shower, as he hated being dirty. It was a kami thing, and he was actually quite glad it had just been his work robes she had 'gutted'. He didn't know what he would do if she had gotten his good clothes. As one would expect, BlowingWind was quite proud of her handiwork. It wasn't every day she could 'decorate' a dragon with slimy pumpkin strings and festive seed, whether in human or dragon guise.

At this current time, Ryu had already finished with his "New Year's Purification" and was watching Chihiro fret over her friend's nervousness. His hair still slightly damp from his hasty shower, secretly he plotted his return trick for her questionable treat.

"Why is she so nervous Ryu? Her friends are coming all the way up here just to see her, and she's acting like everything has to be perfect."

"But to her, it does. Today is her New Year, just like Bon is ours. Her best childhood friend has flown all the way from Mt. Shasta City in America, and the first friend she made here in Japan is using part of his military leave to bring her from the airport for this reunion. You have no idea how mad she was when I wrote to those addresses in her 'Little Black Book' to find out who they were. I think it's for the best though, she needs to interact with more true friends than just the two of us."

Ryu had taken note of the great occasion and had put on his ornate magma robes and ashen headband, prepared to meet the closest he ever expected to get to his promised one's family. Every fold was in place in the antique garb, yet he still fiddled with the hem of his sleeves from time to time. With each movement, golden tongues of fire seemed to jet across the moltenly red fabric. Despite his affected calm, Chihiro could see that he was just as nervous as his own priestess was. Ryu's dark hair, although still as unruly as ever, had a somewhat subdued droop to the ever present spikes. It was a definite change for her to see him in finery other than what the shrine keepers used for their holidays.

Chihiro herself had actually dressed up for the occasion, as the small group had been planning to actually go to the local dance club. It had taken BlowingWind a long time to talk her into the foray into the unknown. Still, she oddly found herself looking forward to the noise and heat, just as long as her bane wasn't there. If Queso got wind that she was actually leaving the shrine grounds, he would be all over her like a kitsune was all over fried tofu.

Chihiro's costume was not much different from what she usually wore. The old robes had been handed down from her grandfather, and before that they had belonged to his father. The blue and white silks of the ancient kimono and hakama showed their age, and yet despite being so worn retained a certain simple elegance. When she had put them on, a male's benign laughter had filled her head before the oddest feeling of being the receiver of a shoulder pat. The nearest that she could figure was that her honorable Ancestor approved of the use of the garments for her costume as well as her choice.

Chihiro was masquerading as a Yama-Uba. That is, she was going as an old woman of the mountains. The bushy white wig was a tangled mess, complete with branches and leaves thrown in for effect. A terrifying figure in the local mythology when angered, a mountain witch was noted for superhuman strength, speed, huge appetite, and a great love for nature. Thankfully, Chihiro only needed to play the part, although there were times that she had considered retreating to the slopes of her kami's sire's mountain.

"So she has to obsess over whether the candle in her pumpkin lamp will get enough air to burn?"

"It must be an Irish thing, or perhaps an American thing. I still don't understand her whole pumpkin carving ceremony. I'm just glad she's not using turnips. According to her, that takes forever. I understand that it would also be considered traditional."

It was at this point that BlowingWind came whirling out of the kitchen, brazenly brandishing the flaming edible. Her white beaded doeskins clung to her like they had grown from her, and the fringes waved as if with a life of their own. The American's short brown hair had been twined with various hawk's feathers, and her face was banded in black and yellow. Trailing behind her, as if an afterthought, more hawk's feathers danced from her arms while silver bells tinkled where they had been tied at her ankles, knees and waist.

Chihiro was somewhat familiar with the concept of Halloween, but hadn't paid much attention to it. She was Japanese after all, and until recently had been so involved with the river reconstruction that she just sort of flowed along with all of the holidays she and the others celebrated. The Miko was not totally out of the loop though, after all, she knew that costumes had something to do with the observation of this day for her friend. After all, she had been talked into dressing up for this event.

"What are you this year 'Wind?"

The wind blows through the Standing Stones,  
Where the Ancient chants ring.  
I dance through the forest dark homes,  
Spiraling with the Hawk's wing!

The old year is ended and laid now to burn,  
And so the Wheel turns.  
The dead to us happily return  
While Mother's Cauldron churns!

This time of year the veil wears thin!  
Around the bonfire hot and bright  
The Spirit is conjured within  
There upon the mystic height!

Fearlessly I'll carry the Blazing Coal  
In the Spirit of all my Kin  
I'll produce the Sacred Toll  
That hides deep Within.

I will dance the Spiral Dance  
Whirling in to Death  
I will gaily caper and out prance,  
Again with Life's Breath.

If you hear the Hounds' voices bay  
Across the misty moor,  
Greet ye without fear the Lady Fey  
That knocks upon your door.

Dance with the Witches and the Fey,  
Dance with the Dragons  
And Dance by the Gypsie's Wagons.  
Dance with the Lady Grey.

Without missing a beat the Shaman truly did whirl through the room and out the door after grabbing her kami with one hand. In turn, his surprise caused him to latch onto the River Priestess. So it was that the Japanese natives found themselves caught up in a rather poor version of a very old dance from BlowingWind's Mother's homeland. At the end, BlowingWind finished their torture by depositing her glowing burden upon the exterior porch. Bemused, Ryu and Chihiro trailed after the ecstatic woman. Even Koji could not help but raise his eyes from the newspaper to watch the childish proceedings. Seeing the annoying dragon being flung about like some whip was certainly not something he would like to miss.

Chihiro now knew that hawks could be dangerous. Only a crazy woman would dance through the house with a lit pumpkin dragging two people behind her. Then again, sometimes Chihiro wondered about her friend's sanity. Therefore, it fit.

"Well, look at this. I never thought I'd see a Native American do a Hawk Dance with a Jack O'Lantern."

"You should have seen her growing up then. One year, she participated in the Torch Run down the Mountain dressed as a hawk. She had gotten some other Native Americans to go down with her as other animals that helped Coyote bring fire to the humans. Somehow, she and the Coyote managed to singe their fingers and had to go down to the Ski Patrol office."

The two unfamiliar voices rang through the evening air, laughter pealing like bells. The two newcomers stood out in the dusk, clearly not native to the soil.

The woman was around the same height as BlowingWind, deep green eyes peering out from behind a black half mask. Midnight hair swirled into a prim bun, and two black cat's ears made their home on top of her head. A black skin suit complete with tail completed the costume, and Summerrose Smythe swept her best friend into a tight hug.

The man was far more reserved though. As he waited patiently to greet the young woman that he had first met on a fateful plane flight only a few years ago, it struck Chihiro that even though he obviously wasn't from Japan he had to have been there long enough to become accultured. Blue eyes and red hair spoke of his own Celtic ancestry, and although he was dressed much like some traveling minstrel from his own medieval period it was easy to see how even in his down time he bore the stamp of a soldier. This was the name that had caused Ryu's jealous frenzy of letters, that fateful day BlowingWind's address book had fallen open due to a restless cleaning spree. The star by the name of Shawn Bowers had caused the volcano kami to think she was seeing someone behind his back. One can only imagine the relief he felt upon the discovery that the Specialist was a happily married man with children.

"It's good to see you again 'Burns In the Sun.' It's good to meet your very jealous boyfriend as well."

Shawn respectfully bowed to his friend's boyfriend, missing the sheepish look that Ryu shot the Native American.

"How is Haruko and the baby?"

"Haruko is doing fine, and little Yuki has gotten so big! Here!"

The soldier excitedly pulled out his wallet to show off his Japanese wife and their child. Chihiro and Ryu looked on from where they stood beside BlowingWind, feeling like extra wheels on a bicycle. It was very different for them to not be central in her attentions, and both were left wondering what BlowingWind had been like before coming to their country.

"Come on guys, it's dark! Let's all go and do some adult trick or treating. First, you need to introduce us to your other friends. Especially that gorgeous man you are with. I see now why you ran away to this country."

"Smythe Sumerrose, Bowers Shawn, meet my boyfriend Take Ryu. This is my friend Ogino Chihiro, and the old man watching from the door is her grandfather Ogino Koji, the High Priest of this Shrine. I'd like to introduce you to Chihiro's boyfriend, but he's away on business."

"He's not my boyfriend!"

"Sure Chihiro."

Summerrose smiled at the Japanese girl. BlowingWind still refused to come home and see her mother, but still had written. In turn, she had passed on to BlowingWind's mother that her child was well and happy. However, Ms. O'Drake, or more commonly known as Mrs. MountainChild, had gone so far in her depression that she had always chalked up the tales as just that . . . tales to calm a grieving mother.

The American visitor was truly grateful to the Japanese girl. Wind always spoke highly of her in her letters, and often wrote about the fun she had beating up on some guy named Queso. Summerrose sometimes wondered though if her friend was doing so well because the naïve Japanese woman actually needed the protection.

"Great! Let's go, I want to see the whole area that stole you from me and the Mountain."

Koji watched as the young adults left the shrine grounds. Haku was not going to be happy when he found out Chihiro was being spirited to the dance club. However, it wasn't like Koji was going to go and tell the river spirit. For all Koji knew, his kami would flood the area in a jealous rage.

* * *

Chihiro had actually enjoyed herself so far, and not hide or hair of her annoying suitor had been spotted. Despite her hermit-like ways, Chihiro was still recognized by many of the other party-goers. She had quickly become good friends with Summerrose, and so no longer felt like an extra. When nature called, the three of them had left Shawn to chat with Ryu, unsuspecting of the lurker waiting for his chance to get the miko alone. 

Taking care of business had been short work for Summerrose and Chihiro since they had no makeup to retouch. BlowingWind had to fix a couple stripes though, where a careless hand had smudged them. After washing their hands, Chihiro pulled the door open so that they could return to the group.

Lo and behold, Queso struck.

"Chihiro, darling! Would you care for a dance with me, mi amour?"

Her scream was heard throughout the whole nightclub. The horrified sound wavered in the air like a sour note, beckoning two people to hurry to her aid. Swimming their way through the hundreds of other bodies, it would be a bit before they could do anything.

"Let me go you pervert!"

Thinking quickly, Chihiro employed the trusty head butt maneuver. Summerrose pulled Chihiro back into the restroom and BlowingWind slammed the door shut. The three women leaned heavily against the wooden separator, praying that the vile demon would just go away. No woman ever wants to be trapped in the bathroom after all.

"Does this happen all the time?"

"Yup."

Wind and Chihiro had answered the visitor in tandem, chiming like bells struck at the same hour.

"We out number him. I say we rush him, trample him, and leave the rest for the guys to clean up."

"Ah, the Wilson. That was a messy Prom."

Chihiro know knew that BlowingWind had definitely been violent back home. Afraid to ask what this Wilson guy had done, she asked a different question.

"Won't we get kicked out of the club?"

"I doubt it. He was harassing you."

That said, Wind threw open the door and lead the charge.

"Here, have trick Queso. We're fresh out of treats."

As BlowingWind mowed Queso down, Shawn and Ryu finally managed to get out of the crowd. Grinning, Ryu grabbed the unconscious Spaniard by the ankles, dragging him through the writhing dance floor and out the door. Depositing the annoying man for the bouncer, a quick explanation was all the bouncer needed before waving the shrine keeper back inside to his friends. A few word were spared before the large man used the cell phone at his waist to call the hospital.

"It was bound to happen you know. The guy's obsessed."

* * *

Chihiro and her friends never did get thrown out of the club. It was late when they left the party, now sporting big bags of candy. Chihiro and BlowingWind had hidden all of their chocolate loot inside their costumes though, guarding it for the "human" who was trying to figure out how to get it away from them. The moon cast a silver glow over the river and the shrine, and a slight mist rose from the river to embrace the small party. More accurately it would be to embrace its miko reflexively as she drew near to the elemental once more, but that was not something that the visitors needed to know. 

The Miko lingered at the red torii for a moment wishing that her kami had been with her. If Kohaku had been there, she doubted that she would have been manhandled. Now she felt dirty and unfit to enter her home.

"What's wrong Chi?"

BlowingWind turned around to ask the question, having noticed halfway to the living quarters that her friend had not yet even entered the grounds. The others also paused in confusion, having decided to spend the night at the shrine.

"I'll be along. Go ahead. There's something I need to take care of first."

Ryu nodded in understanding. He knew well how Chihiro felt every time that Queso touched her.

"Go perform Misogi. You'll feel better. Besides, I'm sure the river has missed you. I'll let Koji-san know."

"Hai. Arigato Ryu."

Chihiro turned to walk down to the river and to the special pool that had formed, chanting as she went. She always felt better after swimming, even though it would be cold at this time of year.

"She isn't going to go in that water tonight is she? Won't she get sick?"

Summerrose drug behind the rest of the group, worrying about her new friend. Ryu decided to explain a little to her.

"Chihiro is the Shrine Miko. As such, she has to maintain a pure state at all times. Contact with lustful and impure people sullies her and makes it hard to perform her duties. She has to be purified after contact with such people. She takes this very seriously. That's also why she won't date while her balance is gone. I hope he comes home soon, he's going to pulverize Queso when he finds out. Unfortunately, he will be gone for a very long time."

"Why does she work so rigorously at remaining pure? Why can't she just live life? And what's so special about not dating without her balance?"

BlowingWind smiled enigmatically, pausing by her Jack O'Lantern that was still glowing. Turning to watch Chihiro slip into the water after stripping down to her white underkimono, she laughed as the mist rising from the river increased to indicate the water was even warmer. The Kohakugawa had warmed for his Chihiro, and it was not long before her form was shrouded entirely. The visitors to the shrine watched the mist thicken, awed at how the seemingly natural event coincided with the entry of the holy woman.

"Oh, she as her reasons."


	46. Picnic and Innocence

Courting the River Maid Collection  
A collection of Spirited Away Short Fanfictions.

Disclaimer: Spirited Away is the property of Hayao Miyazaki.

Number 46: Picnic and Innocence.

Set several years after the end of "Rivers Keep Flowing."

* * *

Sandal clad feet beat out a familiar tune as they walked through the forest embracing the river. The grasses sang as the pair that walked together parted them and reveled in the sun. Blue and white flowed together like gentle waves, complimenting each other perfectly even if the clothing was a little odd for the times.

"Mama! Tadasu is teasing me again!" a young girl's voice breaks the stillness and peace of the forest.

"I am not! You do walk like a geisha," another young voice calls back, this time masculine.

The walking waters stop and pause to look at each other before turning to survey the offspring following them. Two pairs of green eyes were locked in the heat of a weary argument, and two milky faces pouted at each other beneath their midnight locks. The boy wore his hair short in the manner his father once had long ago, while the girl's locks trailed down to her shoulders in soft sweeps.

"Must you children argue so much when we leave the shrine?"

Haku glared at his offspring, a full picnic basket in hand as his emerald eyes narrowed. The children stilled under his steely gaze, quickly stepping back into line and setting aside the years long argument for later.

"Gomen nasai, Ototo-sama, Omoto-sama." The children replied in unison, bowing as they had learned to do from their grandfather.

Haku's head nodded imperceptibly before he turned around and began walking again.

"The spring is not that much further, and I am sure that Ten's children are looking forward to this as much as you are."

Although he had said it in a soft monotone, the traces of a fatherly smile could not be hidden from the now keen eyes of his mate. A flickered exchange of amusement passed silently between the lord and lady of the Kohakugawa.

"Uncle Haku! Auntie Chihiro!" Three small voices chimed out of the tall grasses just before Chihiro found herself beset by three small bronze dragons shamelessly searching the folds of her robes for fresh mochi, or perhaps the onigiri that she so often carried with her when she came visiting.

"Children! Get off of your aunt! Have you no shame that prevents you from crawling inside of her clothing?" Ten's voice boomed from the clearing around the spring.

"No! What does she have in there that you don't want us to see anyway?" The triplets chimed as they slid out of one sleeve.

Chihiro adjusted her robes and tried not to blush as Haku grumbled beside her about the pups acting just like their father. Tadasu and Gawakusa ran forward to play with their cousins, forgetting how tired they were from their walk.

"I'm sorry they did that again. I just don't have the heart to seal them underground like we were whenever we stepped out of line." Ten came near to speak with his old friends without fear of being too easily heard as the children squealed in a game of tag.

"Well, you'll have to think of something soon. They may be no where near one hundred yet and have no idea what mating is yet, but I still would rather be the only one seeing the inside of Chihiro's kimono." Haku huffed, then set the basket down while avoiding Chihiro's hand.

"Haku!"

The five children paused and looked up at Chihiro's flustered exclamation.

"Uh-oh, Daddy's in trouble again." Gawakusa tilted her head as she spoke, trying to figure out what had happened this time. "Is Mommy pregnant again?"

Haku spluttered as Chihiro sat heavily down, and Ten laughed heartily as he spread out a blanket to use as a table.


	47. Life Goes On

Courting the River Maid Collection  
Life Goes On  
By: LadyRainStarDragon Disclaimer:  
Miyazaki-sensei owns Spirited Away.

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Two dark haired men stirred from their cushions on the floor, rising simultaneously in a restless need to move. Moonlight from the water had pooled to form the haori over the river's water that formed the hakama of the one with long hair cascading freely. The inner fires of a distant volcano make the matching haori and hakama of the other male, his hair spiking wildly with pent up emotions.

Haku silently padded down the hall from the living room, taking in the smells of the humans sleeping. At his side, Ryu did the same, neither being able to sleep despite the sweet breaths of their respective mates.

Everything was still too fresh.

Haku sighed, breaking the silence into shards of crystal.

"Are the two of you sure that you will be leaving tomorrow?"

"Yeah. Kaze-chan will recover faster from the birth if we are in my lands. As afraid as I am now, I think her sanity will depend on another child soon."

Haku slid the shoji at the end of the hall open, reflecting briefly how once these had belonged to Koji, his former Daitoku. As he sat at the low desk Haku swept a strand of his now long hair back behind an ear while his emeralds locked with the molten chocolate of Ryu's.

"We will be sorry to see you go."

"I know."

A cry from somewhere up the hall pulled at the two kami, and then it silenced as in the room that Chihiro and Haku shared the young mother began feeding her daughter.

"Gawakusa knows already. She seems to have imprinted you as family."

Ryu sighed, beginning to understand why nesting was so important. Water ryu were apparently a tighter knit group than even volcano ryu.

The silence stretched on, neither kami knowing how to express what they were feeling. After several minutes, Ryu found his voice.

"They do change us, don't they? I'd always scoffed at Ototo-sama's warnings about how dangerous a human woman could be."

Haku silently nodded.

Ryu listened to the soft snores that BlowingWind made in her sleep, so quiet that only beings with keen ears would hear them. Her scent called to him, urging him to weave himself around her, to protect her always.

Yet, he had already failed in that. Their child was gone, even though he was not at the same time. To know that your own son was your doctor was not something easy for a woman who had still been pregnant only a few weeks ago to process.

For him as well.

"Would you change who you bound yourself too?"

Haku's quiet question startled Ryu.

"No. I would mate my Kazeko, my precious Wind, all over again gladly."

"Then what does it matter if our own sanity is already compromised by the things we have seen, and the things they described?"

"Nothing."

Haku nodded, then looked around. Kumiro's little touches were already mingling with the fingerprints that Ogino Koji had left behind.

"Are you going to be alright Kohakunushi?"

"Yes, just... thinking about how transitory their flesh is. Perhaps worrying about how I will stay sane waiting for Chihiro to reincarnate when she dances away from me again."

Ryu nodded.

"We should return to our mates, and enjoy them while they are with us. And at least we have children."

"Yes."

The pair rose once again from where the restless ryu had settled, walking back up the hall and splitting off for their respective rooms across from each other.

Silently bowed goodnights were the only formality before they retreated into their lairs.

Haku slid the door shut softly behind him, and then allowed himself to glide over to the bed where a touseled brown head rested on a pillow as a small black-haired child hungrily fed from one breast. Sleepily, Chihiro cracked open an eye.

"Haku?"

He smiled, quickly doffing his outer robes before slipping into the bed to wrap the pair in a gentle embrace.

"Sen?"

"Where did you go?"

"Sitting up with Ryu."

"They are still going back to Fujisan?"

"Hai koibito. Sleep now."

Chihiro yawned as the baby fell asleep and her breast fell from the child's mouth.

"Hai."

"Aishiteru Nigihayami Chihiro, Lady of the Kohakugawa."

"Aishiteru Nigihayami Kohakunushi, Lord of the Kohakugawa."

Chihiro's grey eyes slipped shut and her breathing grew slow, and soon she was fast asleep as the young kawagami watched his bride.

"My Precious, Precious Pearl."

Across the hall, Ryu wandered to the futon he shared with his own bride, noting how once again she had shorn off her gorgeous auburn hair to chin-length. It had been so rich and lovely when at its proper length.

He made a mental note to keep all sharp object away from her for quite some time when they got home, just in case she decided to try cutting something else also.

Though BlowingWind's eyes stayed closed, she had felt him come in.

"Ryu?"

"Yes, my little hitogami?"

"Please... would you hold me?"

"Of course."

Ryu laid down and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her pale neck to nuzzle her jaw with his nose.

"When?"

"Soon Ai... soon. About a week after I get you home, and then you will be healed enough we can try again."

"Thank you Ryu."

BlowingWind fell back into slumber, leaving Ryu to mull over how once he would have been paying for this privelege dearly. It was thrilling that she wanted him, and yet since the long chase had ended in such a way it was slightly disturbing.

"It is strange to be jealous of the effect my own son has had on you."

BlowingWind did not hear, lost in dreams of what could have happened if she had been allowed to raise her eldest and only child.

Far across the ocean, a pair of currently brown eyes locked with sapphires across a table in a small cantina in Mexico City.

"Jewel, I have a proposition for you."

Pink tinged formerly pale cheeks beneath curly auburn hair, and an aristocratic eyebrow raised interestedly at the reaction he had accidentally ellicited.

"I have taken over the funding of the project that you had been presiding over. Many of the people that were on the team that had taken over while you were missing are not suitable for the image I want conveyed. I would like to ask you to join my private team of researchers. This way, should your University decide that they won't support you anymore, you will still be there.

"I... don't know what to say..."

"Say yes."

The green iguana on the shoulder of the dark man seemed to be begging her with it's wide eyes. Another Mexican came up to the table respectfully.

"I'm afraid we don't allow iguanas here, sir. The last one we let in got loose in the kitchen and... I don't think you need to hear more of what it did."

The iguana hissed at the intruder, who left. Huetziatl shook his head, silently talking to his son.

"Just what did you do last time?"

Quetzal answered the same way his father had asked the question, telepathically.

"They were going to serve mom some dog when she'd ordered beef. So I took care of that problem."

Huetziatl smiled, then leaned across the table to grip Jewel's hand.

"Think about it. You know how to reach me."

That said, he lifted her hand to her lips, secretly delighting in the reaction he received.


	48. Citrus Games

**Title: Citrus Games**  
Fandom: Spirited Away  
Disclaimer: S.A. belongs to Miyzaki-san  
Author: LadyRainStarDragon

* * *

They sat on the counter, staring her in the face, daring her to try anything funny. Their yellow skin and oblong faces taunted her with their myriad eye-like pores. A sharp knife whizzed through the air and through the evil she held trapped on the maple cutting board, ending the life of one of the evil youkai.

A pale hand picked up one half and impaled it on the cold aluminum, squeezing, twisting, and pushing until every last available drop of the acidic blood had fallen into the offering bowl below. The process was repeated with the other half, and one by one each fell to the holy knife wielded by the priestess. The jyaki hung heavy in the air, and her slender hands picked up the offering bowl to murmured chants before ceremonially pouring the fluids into the pitcher.

The traditional amount of sugar and water were added by her hands next, and then carefully mixed the proper amount of time.

Kohaku and Cat watched as the woman clad in the blue kimono muttered her spells over the potion. Her brown hair hung freely down her back, hiding the trim waist accentuated by the silver obi from their view.

"Lemonade? I thought you still hated lemons?"

Chihiro reached for a glass and ritualistically added some ice from the freezer before pouring herself some of the poison.

"Hai, Haku. I've been craving lemons terribly the last week."

"I wonder why that could be?"

Haku hid his smirk as his bride and priestess turned around to look at him. He knew he was safe, for now, as his jade gaze and lengthy midnight tresses never failed to mesmerize her. The effect was always strengthed when he wore his traditional kimono, the rapids and still pools that composed his haori and hakama calling to her very soul as her soul called to him.

He had tried to keep his tone curious, but apparently by the look on her face she had caught something of his thoughts.

Cat, the ryu-neko that had adopted Chihiro a few years ago on Zeniba's orders, stretched his lithe black body and closed his golden eyes as he yawned.

"What are you hiding from me Nigihayami Kohakunushi?"

She walked over to the table, sitting down in the chair across from him. The highchair that Gawakusa used to join them in at mealtimes lurked nearby, the child long ago washed and put to bed for the night.

"Why is it that you call upon my full name as if I had something to hide that must be called forth as if I were your shikigami, my nisou?"

Haku played innocent well, but his lovely human had scented blood.

"Why is it that you dodge my question, oh master of the river? Surely my lord has learned it is better to answer his wife to ensure the tranquility of this peaceful shrine."

The ancient and formal manner of their exchange stirred his blood, and he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to gain the upper hand in their new game.

"My beauteous and fragrant river mistress, why must it be that I come under suspicion, when I merely inquired as to such a thing as why my lady imbibes the juice of lemons when once you hated them with such fierce passion that they had become a punishment to teach of the proper order between kami and ningen?"

"Ah, yes, that is just the thing my noble lord, and now we find ourselves locked into the formal and ancient mode of speech preserved in the norito. My lord is privvy to much more than I, who am still only a simple human, and do not think that I do not know of the matters discussed at Izumo Jingu in the 10th month among the kami. You have been far more contact oriented and playful since your return to me last month. Tell me, could it be that my lord has deigned to implant his offspring in this vessel once more?"

Haku spluttered. Cat laughed quietly as the final pieces of Kohaku's composure shattered on the floor around him.

"What makes you think that so soon?"

"You did, didn't you? That night you came home, or the nights shortly after. I thought we had agreed we would wait a little longer, until BlowingWind returned to Ryu. How will Ryu feel when he learns I'm pregnant again, when Wind died of sorrow for not being able to conceive again?"

Haku sighed.

"It was his suggestion at the council. The fertility of the district needed to be assured, and this year it is you that was chosen by other members of the council to be one of the women to conceive."

"Now I feel like he's living through me vicariously."

Chihiro drank some of her lemonade, Haku watching hungrily as her throat worked. He too was thirsty, but not for so plain a drink as the acidic beverage she now craved.

"He's not. And I had been planning a more gentle and romantic revelation as to your current state."

"I see."

She put the glass down firmly, then leaned towards him over the table. His eyes widened in anticipation, hoping for the longed for contact.

At the last moment one hand darted forward to grab a fistful of his haori, yanking him closer. He preferred to be the forceful one, but every once in a while it was good for her to take the initiative, and he did have to admit those times were sheer bliss. Her soft rose lips parted, and he braced himself for the expected invasion.

It never came.

"We are going to need a lot more lemons Haku, and you have to pick when they are out of season of all times to break my anti-conception omamori."

"Oh... so you found that."

* * *

**Vocabulary words:**

jyaki- miasma

kimono- robe-like clothing (especially traditional women's dress), also general term for clothes.

obi- belt

hai- yes, it is so

haori- jacket

hakama- trousers, pants, a split-skirt garment traditionally worn by men but also by priestesses

ryu- dragon

neko- cat

shikigami- familiar. Youkai usually serve in this capacity, but I have found instances of kami fulfilling the function as well.

nisou- priestess, often married as opposed to miko who are normally unmarried.

kami- spirit(s), deity/ies

ningen- human(s)

norito- prayers written in a very old and flowery style of Japanese in the praise of the kami.

jingu- Imperial shrine

omamori- charm in a small sack


	49. Merry Christmas

Courting the River Maid Collection

Chapter 49: Merry Christmas

Fandom: Miyazaki's Spirited Away

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A little over seven years after "Rivers Keep Flowing."

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The wealth of white lay thick upon the ground, the languid moonlight reflecting from it to brighten the night and further given magic by the light of the full moon. A fire was going in the kotatsu, where the four adults had their feet tucked beneath as they lurked in the living room. Gawakusa, Tadasu, and Kumiro's intermittent girlfriend Tsuchiko had gone to bed earlier, leaving Haku, Chihiro, Ryu, and the young priest to sit quietly together.

In one corner of the room was a large potted pine tree, decorated with silver and blue ornaments and real quartz crystals that sparkled with the blue lights carefully wrapped around said tree. A plethora of presents for the children, and a few for the adults, waited underneath. Christmas Eve was always a rather morose time for the four friends, seven long years spent without the fifth member of the group.

Ryu closed his eyes and sighed.

"She would have loved the weather. I actually went snowboarding today, hoping that her soul would blow by me like she sometimes does. But she wasn't in the wind, as hasn't been for a couple months now."

Chihiro frowned where she was cuddled against her river kami, and Haku held her just a little tighter as he too fought his melancholy.

Haku broke the silence that had followed after a few moments.

"That's strange. She is usually always blowing around doing whatever tasks are supposed to take her soul to the next level. The Council has been convening lately as well. Father has been gone from his mountain for months now."

A lonely wind picked up outside, howling sadly as clouds began to obscure the moon and bring darkness to the night. On a shelf, the clock struck the hour, a bell slowly tolling out midnight.

"I failed her."

Kumiro patted Ryu's back in a brotherly fashion.

"You have done everything you could for here while she was alive, and even with her dead you tend her grave and shrine so carefully and faithfully. Perhaps she has just reincarnated. You are mated, I'm sure you'll find her again."

"With my luck, she will be a he…"

Ryu stared at the wood-fired heater. The clock chimed the final time, and the wind died again, though the night was finally dark.

"MountainChild BlowingWind, my mate… where have you gone?"

Chihiro's eyes grew glassy and wet as she watched her friend sink further into his despair, wondering just how long it would be until he died of a broken heart. Moments passed, and the wind began to moan softly under the eaves.

"Ryuuuuuuu. Ryyyyuuuuuuuuu."

His head snapped up from its solemn droop, dark eyes darting around looking for the source of the sound before closing again in agony. It had only been the wind.

"She wouldn't want you to be this way Ryu."

Chihiro's voice had been soft, like the sleepy murmurs of the river outside as it flowed beneath the crust of ice.

"Chihiro is right Ryu. You have been grieving for far too long. Let her do what she needs to do so she can return…"

Haku's emerald eyes were like those only found on experienced fathers, filled with concern and more.

"I can't. It's my fault she died. It's my fault she became infertile. IT'S ALL MY FAULT!"

The wind howled Ryu's name and shook the panes of glass, as if it had been enraged somehow. The shrine home creaked and groaned under the onslaught, and the howling became the roars of a fierce gale.

Then the wind was gone, but the roar hung in the air.

Chihiro got up, and peered through the glass with her grey eyes.

"Who is this?"

A yellow dragon had assumed a battle stance in the deep snow, her smallish size and decided thickness around the area where her breeding organs were indicating that she was a female, while her long brown mane lashed in a non-existent wind.

Both Kohaku and Ryu stood up and came to the window, sniffing loudly in disbelief, followed by a very confused Kumiro.

"This… this smells like…"

The dragon morphed quickly into a young woman, her familiar white doeskins a welcome sight as her auburn hair settled around her face in long tendrils.

"Ryu! I don't ever want to hear you blame yourself for something that isn't your fault again, or I'll finish stuffing that voodoo doll I was working on!"

Ryu finished Haku's thought.

"… Kaze-chan…"

The volcano kami was out the door in a flash, swooping upon the woman before she could raise her hands in defense, knocking her into the snow and devouring her lips.

Kumiro stifled his urge to whistle in appreciation, not wanting to wake the kids if they had actually managed to sleep through the dead woman's enraged bellows. Chihiro looked at Haku in confusion.

"All this time, Wind was a Wind Dragon?"

Kohaku smiled as he watched his friends.

"I had wondered about it several times. I guess that she will have quite a story to tell when they are done ravishing each other. We should prepare some hot tea and cocoa, and warm some blankets for them."


	50. Rest

Rest

Since it's been such a long time, this is after the events of "Rivers Keep Flowing," but before "Rivers Always Claim What is their Own."

And no, I'm not dead… just life had been a bit more turbulent than I'd thought. Thank you to Nigihayami Kohakunushi (really) for checking on me on MSN.

* * *

Chihiro sighed deeply, the passing years having placed a little extra weight on her hips and gravity having slowly begun to leave it's mark on her frame. Her eyes, still grey from the presence of Haku's most recent visit to her, scanned the courtyard a final time before heading down to her beloved river.

Unlike other priestesses that she was beginning to hear of, she at least had a near physical presence of her mate, even though most of the time recently it seemed she communed more with the water part of him than with the form he took for her. Recently, she had corresponded with one who had her mate far away from herself. Knowing fully well how hard that was to deal with emotionally, she had written back with encouraging words and advice on how to close the physical gap as well as possible.

It had been odd to write so candidly about such things.

"Haku…"

Chihiro's voice was barely a whisper above the sound of the flowing water. The woman kneeled down on the bank slowly, carefully arranging her red and white kimono around her legs.

A moment passed, and the river gave up some of its water to form Kohakunushi's body. Carefully, moving softly and leaving no ripples, he emerged in his flowing white kimono, the familiar waves around the edges of his hems, and kneeled down beside her. Gently, he pulled her chestnut hair from its bindings and tilted her chin upwards toward him again.

"Sorry I was so long, there was more to do at the gathering than I had known that there would be. So much changing hands… but I'm home now."

Chihiro pressed into him eagerly and hugged her mate tightly, looking up into his jade eyes.

"I missed you…"

Haku blushed. "So I gathered from last night's dreams. I've missed you as well. You said the children were well?"

"Hai. Gawakusa's classes are progressing well. Tadasu is still not applying himself as well as he could though."

"I see. The affairs of the river will wait for a while…" The river kami cast his senses about the shrine grounds, looking for visitors. Finding none, he continued with a suggestive smile on his lips as he placed them near his bride's ear to whisper. "You smell and look like you need to play. Can this dragon kidnap his maiden for an hour?"

As he spoke, he slowly and carefully left aside his human shape, forming his essence into the more comfortable and familiar dragon self that had rescued her so many decades ago. Carefully coiling himself around her, he nuzzled her ear lightly as he waited for the answer.

"But the children dear…"

"Will be in school for awhile longer, it's not that late in the day…" He purred into her ear. "You need to let yourself rest, I hear your waters crying. We could take a stroll in the forest…"

"I suppose it would be alright, it's generally slow today."

Haku slipped off of her softly and crouched down for her, looking at her from the corner of his eye and waiting for her to make her own decision as to whether she would walk or ride. After a moment, the woman slipped onto him and settled herself where she culd hold his horns.

"There now, things are feeling better already…" He purred into her mind as he began walking, carefully crafting the energy around himself so that they would not be seen by anyone without the ability to see spirits.

Chihiro nodded mutely, tucking her face into his mane and breathing in his soothing scent. The dragon smiled at her nuzzlings, and made his way unhurried to where his river created a small waterfall where the forest was still nearly untouched.

"Haku… do you remember those stories you used to find on the computer about us?"

"I do, that one author that knew a bit much seemed to just disappear. I've not felt watched for a long time now."

"I know why…"

"Do you?" His ears perked toward her as he coiled in a warm place, maneuvering her into his coils slowly. "What happened? I must say that for some reason her disappearance does worry me, and there was a rather harried looking female at the last meeting that felt familiar for some reason."

"She's had a mentally hard time, lost some things and gained some things."

Haku nodded. "I also talked to a woman recently, or dreamed that I had, who said much the same, though she wasn't very good at holding one form long in the dream."

"Then it's not a dream or coincidence?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. For now, we rest. This is what is important, so that we can care for our little ones, and so that you can grow…" He rubbed his coils soothingly around her. "You have taken on too much again in the short time I'd left your side."

* * *

On the other side of the world, a young woman sat at her computer, chatting, contemplating sketches, taking a break from writing down adventures of BlowingWind and Ryu from before they met with Chihiro… and waiting.

A window popped up on her screen, the name of the speaker a familiar one to her and one that she had been thinking about just the night before.

"What happened to all those stories?"

The woman smiled and bowed toward the screen before typing her reply. While waiting for her own mate, she decided to rest from her work on BlowingWind's tale and turned her inner eyes away from musings over a kitsune and toward the distant river dragon.


End file.
